If Things Were Different
by Slytherin Girl Gryffindor Girl
Summary: What if James and Lily Potter had defeated Voldemort on that dreadful night? What if Harry lived a normal life with a real family? This is what I think it would be like….
1. Old Friends

Summary: What if James and Lily Potter had defeated Voldemort on that dreadful night? What if Harry lived a normal life with a real family? This is what I think it would be like..

Author's Note: I don't own all of these characters; only the ones that you don't recognize from JK Rowling's Harry Potter books.

Chapter # 1

Old Friends

Ten-year-old Harry Potter lay awake in bed as he often did. He looked at his Quidditch clock. It read 11:59. The broomstick on it ticked silently by the second. Harry sighed happily. Twenty more seconds and it would be his 11th birthday.

He thought about his birthday while he waited for the clock to strike midnight. He was turning 11, old enough to start at Hogwarts, which he already knew he was going to. He had been put down on the Hogwarts' list since the day he was born.

Harry was having a big party. His father, James Potter, who played Quidditch for England, had invited his whole Quidditch team and their families. Harry was friends with a lot of James' teammates' kids. He was also having his two best friends over; Derek Black and Jake Lupin, and some friends of his mom's. Derek and Jake's parents were old friends with Harry's mom and dad.

The clock struck midnight. Harry was 11 years old. Then, with a sigh of happiness, he let his eyelids flutter shut and drifted off into a joyful sleep

"Vake up Harry! It's ur birfday!"

Harry groaned and rolled over. His 3-year-old sister Rebecca was jumping up and down on his bed excitedly. She looked like a miniature Lily Potter with her wavy red hair and shining green eyes.

"Go away Becca," Harry mumbled pushing her off the bed. She wore a hurt look for a moment, then broke into a grin and skipped happily away.

There's no bugging that kid, Harry thought as he slipped into baggy shorts and a Quidditch t-shirt. Harry lived for Quidditch; he was absolutely obsessed. His whole room was decorated with Quidditch things, which included his Comet 360 broomstick. James Potter made a lot of money playing Quidditch, and the Potters lived in a huge house. James didn't buy the house though; he inherited it. It was called Godric's Hollow, and had once belonged to Godric Gryffindor, one of the 4 founders of Hogwarts. Harry was the heir of Gryffindor, but that didn't stop him from being worried.

"What if I'm sorted into Ravenclaw?" Harry asked as he entered the kitchen for breakfast. James was reading a letter that the Potter family owl, Starlight, had just delivered, and Lily was tickling Rebecca, and they were both laughing merrily. Harry loved hearing his mother laugh. The Potters' house-elf, Rose, was making Harry's favourite breakfast, bacon, French toast, and fried eggs.

"Good morning Harry! Happy birthday! What was that you were saying about Ravenclaw?"

Harry sat down between his parents. His mom gave him a warm smile. James had messy black hair, hazel eyes behind his gold-rimmed spectacles, and a mischievous grin. Rebecca ran over to him and he picked her up and sat him on his lap with ease. James had lots of muscles from Quidditch, and he was the best Seeker of his time! James was like a big kid. That's what Harry loved about him. He was so. . . cool.

"I said," Harry repeated. "What if I'm sorted into Ravenclaw?"

"You're the heir of Gryffindor Harry!" James laughed. "Of course you will be sorted into Gryffindor!"

Harry wasn't completely convinced, but he said nothing more on the subject and dug into his breakfast.

"I just got a letter from the Blacks," James said, trying to get Harry's mind off of houses. "They're coming half an hour early for the party, so they'll be here around 11:30."

Harry glanced at the clock. It was 11:04! He was normally a slow eater, so he ate his food as fast as he could, and finished at 11:21. He hurried up to his bedroom.

"Do something about that hair of yours Harry! It's too messy!" Lily yelled after him.

"Ahh Lily dear, he has hair like mine. It's impossible to flatten. Besides, the girls love that look. They were all so jealous of you when we were dating."

Harry stopped on the stairs. He loved hearing stories about when his parents were at Hogwarts, especially the ones about all the pranks James and his friends pulled.

"Oh I remember that," Lily agreed. "They all said that I stole you from them. But of course, most of the guys weren't too happy about us being together either."

"Too true," James chuckled. Harry ran up the rest of the stairs to his room and tried hastily to clean it up a bit. At 11:46 the doorbell rang, and Harry rushed downstairs.

"How's my favourite godson?" Sirius Black asked. Sirius was Harry's godfather, James' best friend, and father of Harry's best friend, Derek Black. Sirius had dark brown hair, mischievous chocolate brown eyes and an evil grin. Derek looked a lot like him, evil grin and all, except he had his mother's curly hair and blue eyes.

Derek's mom, Jenna Black, had curly blonde hair, a beautiful smile, and dark blue eyes like a night sky. Kailah, Derek's 6-year-old sister, had straight blonde hair, hazel eyes and her mother's smile. But today she had her arms crossed over her chest and she wore a stubborn look. Jenna looked helplessly down on her daughter, and then smiled warmly at Harry.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking," Harry replied, leading Sirius and Jenna into the living room. It was painted gold and scarlet, with a crackling fire off to one side. Lily always said it looked like the Gryffindor common room.

Derek and Harry headed up to Harry's bedroom, with Kailah tagging along behind them.

"Go play with Rebecca," Derek snapped, slamming the door on her face. They listened to her retreating footsteps.

"What's wrong with Kailah?" Harry asked as they took a seat on his bed.

"Oh she saw something she wanted when we were shopping for your present, but Mum and Dad wouldn't get it for her," Derek explained with a shrug. "So who's coming to the party besides us and the Lupins?"

"Some old friends of my mom's and the England Quidditch team," Harry told him smugly.

"What! The England Quidditch team is coming here!" Derek exclaimed in amazement.

"Yep," Harry grinned. "And their families. Their kids are really nice too."

Harry and Derek got into a long conversation about Quidditch. Just then there was a knock on the door. Derek answered it, and in walked their other best friend, Jake Lupin. His father's grey eyes sparkled, and his mother's blonde hair was brushed perfectly a top his head. Jake joined into their conversation, and soon an argument about the Quidditch World Cup broke out. Derek thought England would win, and of course so did Harry, but Jake seemed to think Germany had much more skill.

"TRAITOR!" Derek screamed, shoving Jake out of the room and locking the door. Harry and Derek rolled on the floor laughing as Jake banged angrily on it for them to let him in. Finally, after about 10 minutes, Jake's 19-year-old step-brother Aaron came up and unlocked the door with his wand.

Jake scowled as he walked in, and Derek and Harry continued to chuckle at the incident.  
Just as Harry was about to close the door, a girl their age walked in. She was tall and slim with long, straight light brown hair and a shy smile.

"Hi Harry," she said, smiling slightly. Harry grinned at her. Melody was a really nice person, and a really good friend, although he kind of liked her as more than that. He didn't have serious feelings for her of course, it was just a harmless crush.

"Hi Melody! These are my best friends, Derek Black and Jake Lupin. Derek, Jake, this is Melody Williams. She is a muggleborn witch and she moved here 2 years ago. Her mom was friends with my mom when they were little. She will be starting her first year at Hogwarts too."

"Hi," Jake said politely. Derek jumped up and shook her hand vigorously. Harry grinned at Melody's shocked reaction.

"Well, I just thought I'd come up here and say hi. Harry, your Mom told me to let you know that there's food out and that. . .um. . . the Quidditch team has just arrived. Is that right? Quidditch?"

But none of the boys bothered to answer her- instead they nearly knocked her over in their rush to get downstairs. Jake wanted food, Harry wanted to see the Quidditch team, and Derek, well, he wanted both.

Melody regained her balance and watched the boys go. Derek and Jake seemed nice- and kind of cute- but Melody preferred Harry. She'd had a bit of a crush on him for a while now. He didn't know this of course, and she didn't plan on letting him know. It wasn't as though she planned on acting on her feelings- they were only 11. It was just a harmless crush.

Author's Note: Hey! This one's just by Gryffindor Girl for now. Slytherin Girl might help later. I'll try to upload more chapters as soon as I can, but if they are this long it might take me a while. This is my first story fic, so please review. I'm open for suggestions! If you review my story I'll check out yours (if you have any) and review if they interest me. Thanks a bunch!


	2. Party!

Author's Note- Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I hope you keep reading and reviewing. I'm open for suggestions but please no flames. And to luna 'loony' lovegood, don't worry, Harry and Ron will meet on the train like in JK Rowling's book, and they'll all be friends.  
  
Chapter #2  
  
Party!!  
  
"Time for presents!" Lily yelled over all the noise. Everybody stopped what they were doing, even Derek, who was running around begging the Quidditch players for autographs. Melody was talking to the team's Keeper, Joseph Foxgauer, who was explaining the game of Quidditch to her, and giving her tips on being a Keeper. It seemed like a position she wanted to play. Jake was having a long conversation with Melody's 16-year-old brother Brian about the muggle sport, soccer. Jake had grown up in a muggle neighborhood, even though he was like Harry and both of his parents were wizards, but his father was a muggleborn.  
  
Harry took a seat on the couch and everyone crowded around him, begging him to open theirs first. He picked one out of the pile and looked at it. It was from Jake, Remus, and Amanda Lupin. He tore off the wrappings and uncovered a Broomstick Servicing Kit. He thought of his Comet 360 in his bedroom that seriously needed some fixing up, and thanked them kindly. The next present he opened was from the Quidditch team's Keeper Joseph Foxgauer and his family. It was a robe that was just like the England Quidditch team's robes, except smaller. He also got a large box of pranking supplies from the Blacks, a set of Gobstones from one of the team's Beaters, a practice Snitch from Melody and her family (she had already been to Diagon Alley) and much more. The last gifts he opened were from his family.  
  
Since Rebecca insisted that her gift be opened last, Harry picked up the two presents from his family next. The first one he opened was a square, thin, bendy package. Harry excitedly tore off the Quidditch wrapping paper and pulled out a long, silvery grey cloak. Many people gasped but he didn't know why.  
  
"Try it on Harry," James urged, ginning ear-to-ear. Harry slipped the cloak over his shoulders and wrapped it tightly around himself. Kailah and Rebecca screamed. Harry looked down at himself and thought he might faint. His body from his shoulders down was invisible!!  
  
"It's an invisibility cloak," James explained proudly. "It was mine when I was a boy at Hogwarts. Me, Remus, and Sirius used to use it to sneak into the kitchens at night."  
  
Lily suddenly looked stern. "Don't go giving him such ideas!" she snapped. Then her look softened. "Open the other one now Harry dear."  
  
Harry picked up the other package, which was a lot bigger than the first. Harry tore it open and revealed. a Nimbus 2000 broomstick!!  
  
"Wow," was all Harry managed to say. Everybody around him was squeezing in and trying to get a closer look. The broom was sleek and shiny, and the twigs on the end were clipped perfectly, much nicer than his Comet 360. Harry knew he wouldn't need to use his new Broomstick Servicing Kit for a while.  
  
"Thanks Mum. Thanks Dad."  
  
"No problem buddy. I was talking to my old friend Albus Dumbledore, and he said there is even an opening for a Seeker on the Gryffindor Quidditch team!" James told him looking very proud of his son. Harry just sat there for a few minutes, gazing absentmindedly at his new broom.  
  
"Now mine! Now mine!" Rebecca finally yelled, breaking the silence. Harry closed his eyes as she instructed him to, and a moment later a heavy load was placed on his lap. Harry keenly opened his eyes and saw an adorable golden retriever puppy on his lap. It tilted its head to one side for a moment, then began licking Harry's face.  
  
"Thanks Becca," Harry grinned, pulling her into a tight hug. Right then and there Harry decided his life was perfect, and he wouldn't have it any other way.  
  
Author's Note: So what do you think? Sorry it took me so long, but school's back in session. AHHHH! Sorry that this chappie isn't as long as the first. Tomorrow I'll start the third which'll include secrets revealed through a game of Truth or Dare, and Quidditch. Sorry about the mistake in my last chapter, I said that Jake's brother Aaron was 15 and he unlocked the door with his wand. But he is underaged. I'll change his age to 17 (he has already graduated from Hogwarts). Thanks for the tip Baudrie-Anne!! 


	3. Truth or Dare and Quidditch

Author's Note- Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I hope you keep reading and reviewing. I'm open for suggestions but please no flames.

Chapter #3

Truth or Dare and Quidditch

Harry, Derek, Jake and Melody were all sitting in Harry's bedroom, along with Harry's puppy, who he had named Snitch, since he was golden. They were all silent, and feeling very bored.

"What do you want to do?" Jake drawled, scratching Snitch behind the ears.

"I dunno," Harry shrugged. "Exploding Snap?"

"Naw," Derek disagreed. A mischievous smile played across his lips. "How about spin the bottle?"

Jake punched him in the arm. "No thanks. How about Truth or Dare?"

Everyone instantly agreed, saying that if they refused a Dare, they'd have to give everybody each 20 galleons. Derek insisted on asking first, so he chose Melody.

"Truth or Dare?"

"Truth," Melody said, trying to sound brave, but really hoping he wouldn't ask anything too embarrassing. She was a horrible liar.

"Um.. Let me think of a good one. . . who do you like the most in this room?"

Melody pretended to contemplate this decision. Jake grinned at her, and Derek winked and blew her a kiss. "Harry," she finally answered, attempting to sound as though this meant nothing, although she could feel the color rising in her cheeks. Harry's face matched Melody's as Jake and Derek chuckled.

"OK my turn," Melody growled, feeling embarrassed. "Derek, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," he said bravely. Melody grinned.

"I dare you to go downstairs and yell out that you hate Quidditch, especially the England Quidditch team."

Derek's eyes widened and he turned pale. Knowing that there was nothing he could do about it, he stomped downstairs. They could hear every single word he yelled from Harry's bedroom. Derek stomped angrily back up the stairs, smoke coming out of his ears. He liked Quidditch just as much as Harry did.

"My turn again," he snapped. "Harry, Truth or Dare."

"Dare."

Derek swore under his breath, but then grinned. "I dare you to answer this question."

"Fine," Harry sighed. "What is it?"

"Do you like Melody?"

Harry wanted to lie. He really did. But Melody had just said that she liked him, so it would be very embarrassing for her if he said no. "Yes," he finally sighed. He and Melody both blushed again as Jake and Derek laughed.

"Oh, how cute," Derek cooed, earning himself a punch from Harry and a glare from Melody.

"Jake, Truth or Dare," Harry grumbled, changing the subject.

"Truth."

"What's your most embarrassing secret?"

"I sleep with a teddy bear named Mr. Tinkles," Jake whispered. Harry and Derek howled with laughter, and Melody giggled.

"Harry, Truth or Dare," Jake snarled, looking murderous.

"Dare."

"I dare you to kiss Melody. . . on the lips!" he exclaimed.

"Whoa there buddy, you've gone a bit too far. We're only 11!" Harry argued.

"Fine," Jake scowled. "On the cheek."

Not wanting to give up 60 galleons, Harry leant in, whispered, "Sorry 'bout him," in her ear, and quickly pecked Melody's cheek. They were both a shade of deep red when he pulled away.

"I think that's enough of that game," Derek giggled. Harry smacked him, but nodded his head in agreement.

"So what now?" Melody asked.

"Why don't we play Quidditch?" Harry suggested, wanting to try out his new broom. Jake and Derek excitedly agreed. (The Potters had their own Quidditch pitch in their backyard).

"Well, to tell you the truth, this Quidditch sport sounds really fun, and I'd love to try it, but all of you have done it before, and today will be my first time even on a broom. . ."

"Don't worry, we'll teach you," Jake said kindly. "Actually, Harry can while Derek and I floo home and get our brooms. You can use Harry's old one."

"Floo?" Melody asked in confusion.

"Floo powder. You throw some into the fireplace, say where you want to go, and it transports you there," Jake explained.

Melody look both intrigued and doubtful. All of the new concepts she was learning today were slightly overwhelming 

"How many people will be playing? Will we have even teams?" Derek asked.

Harry counted the number of kids that were there on his fingers. "Fourteen," he announced. "Seven per team. Perfect."

They all stood up and left the room once Harry had grabbed his Comet 260 and Nimbus 2000 and of course his box of Quidditch balls. Snitch trailed happily after them.

Everyone was happy to join them for a game of Quidditch. All the parents and Melody's brothers went out to watch too. James said he'd referee the game for them. While Jake, Derek, and Aaron went to get their brooms (the others already had theirs) Harry taught Melody how to fly, along with the help of others. She was a natural flier, so it only took her about 5 minutes to learn. Then they made teams. Harry was captain for his team, and Aaron was captain for the other. In the end Harry chose Melody for a Keeper, Jake and Derek as Beaters, and Jessica (though she preferred to be called Jesse), Megan and Alexia as Chasers. Harry was of course Seeker for his team. Aaron had himself as a Keeper, Corey as a Seeker, Robert and Craig as Beaters, and Kristine, Joey, and Mary as Chasers.

James threw the Quaffle into the air. Jesse swooped down and caught it. Harry soared into the air to stay out of the way of Bludgers while he watched for the Snitch, just as his father had taught him to. Corey was an OK Seeker, but his father was Joseph Foxgauer, the Keeper, so he couldn't really teach him much about being a Seeker. Corey stayed lower, and even though he was closer to the Snitch, he couldn't see it while he was spending all his time dodging Bludgers. Aaron was a pretty good Keeper too, but Jesse, Megan and Alexia were unstoppable. They were best friends, and all the same age as Harry. They were going to Hogwarts too. The three of them easily but in 6 goals in the first 10 minutes. Kristine, Mary and Joey were all older than Harry, and also very good Chasers. But Melody was an amazing Keeper. They couldn't put in a single goal.

Fifteen minutes into the game, Harry spotted the Snitch near Corey's ankle, but Corey was too busy flirting with Kristine to notice. Harry took a quick dive, swooped between Corey and Kristine, snatching the Snitch in the process. It fluttered angrily in his clasped fist. The rest of his team cheered, along with the adults. Corey swore under his breath. They all stayed outside, even after the game was over. Harry sat on the grass with Melody, watching in amusement as Jake and Derek had a sword fight with their Beaters clubs.

"You were amazing in the Keeper position," Harry told her, trying to make conversation.

"Thanks. I played goalie for soccer back in the muggle world, so I had practice."

"What's soccer?" Harry asked in confusion.

And she went on to explain it. It seemed pretty simple compared to Quidditch. They ate cake and played around until midnight, when people started to leave. Rebecca was asleep in the stands, and everybody was happy and stuffed with food. Harry was the happiest of all though. His heart was thumping as fast as that newly caught Snitch, once clasped in his hand.

Author's Note- So what do you think? Good, bad? I made it nice and long for you all! Sorry it took me so long, but I've just been so busy with homework and soccer that I haven't had time. Please review. Also my computer is acting stupid and won't let me update right now, so I don't know how long this'll take. I'll work on the other chapters though, so when I do update, there'll be at least 2 chapters for you to read. My computer won't let me onto the internet, so you all had better be updating yours so that I have lots to read when this thing gets fixed!


	4. Hogwarts Express

Author's Note- Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I hope you keep reading and reviewing. I'm open for suggestions but please no flames.

Chapter #4  
Hogwarts Express

"Harry! Hurry up! We're going to be late!" Lily Potter yelled up the stairs. Harry sighed, stuffed the last of his things in his trunk, picked up Snitch, and headed downstairs. Lily was waiting for him at the bottom, an impatient look on her face.

"Now, Harry dear, are you sure you haven't forgotten anything? I don't want you starting at Hogwarts unprepared! I want you getting top marks you know."

"I'm sure mum!" Harry interrupted. "And if I did forget something, I'll owl you and you can send it to me okay?"

Lily thought about this for a minute, and agreed. James chuckled to himself as his wife fussed over her oldest child.

"Now," Lily said, pulling a rusted pop-can out of her purse. "We're going to King's Cross by Portkey. Everybody put a finger on quick, it should set off any second."

Harry quickly put his pointer finger against it, holding his luggage and Snitch tightly. After about 3 seconds, he felt a familiar jerk in his navel, and suddenly their living room was spinning round and round, and then it disappeared.

SPLAT! Harry landed on the ground and struggled to stay on his feet. He opened his eyes, and saw Lily running over to Rebecca to make sure she didn't start crying. James took Harry's trunk from him and carried it himself as though it was as light as a feather.

Once the family had passed through platform 9 ¾, Harry bid everyone good- bye, took his trunk back from his father, and headed on to the train in search of any of his friends.

Finally, at the very back of the train, he found Jake, with his nose stuffed into 'Hogwarts, A History'. Without knocking, he walked into the compartment and dropped his things. Jake looked up at him.

"Hey," he said, before turning back to his book.

"Hey," Harry replied, taking a seat. "How did you manage to get this compartment? All the others were pretty much full!"

"Yeah, my mom got me here like 1 and a half hours ago. didn't want me to miss the train." Jake replied, shaking his head slightly. Harry laughed.

"So, have you read all your school books already?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I wanted to get ahead. Did you?"

"Yes," Harry sighed. "My mom went to Diagon Alley the day after my birthday to get my school things, so I would have a month to get ready. Every single day she would sit me down at the kitchen table until I'd finished reading like half of the book! She wants me getting top marks like her. And, worst of all, when I was done all the books I still had like a week left and I was so happy, but then she made me practice one spell each day until I had mastered it, and if I learned too quick, I'd do 2 or 3 that day! It was absolutely horrible!"

Jake laughed. "You must know like every spell in 'Standard Book of Spells Grade 1' then."

"Not all, just a few basic ones. Do you want to see one?"

"Alright!"

Harry lay lazily back in his seat, pulled out his wand, pointed it at Derek's book, and was about to say the spell, when the compartment door burst open. There stood a tearful, round-faced boy, and a girl with bushy brown hair and rather large front teeth.

"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one," she said in a bossy voice.

"No," Harry replied shortly, but she wasn't listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand.

"Oh, are you doing magic? Go ahead, show us then!"

"I was just about to, when you barged in," Harry snapped. The girl looked taken aback at being spoken to so rudely, but Harry ignored her.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" Harry mumbled lazily, and Jake's book rose into the air.

"That's very impressive," said the girl. "I've tried a few simple spells just for practice, and they've all worked for me too. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course. I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft and wizardry there is, I've heard- I've learnt all our set books of by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough. I'm Hermione Granger by the way, who are you?"

She said this all very fast.

"I'm Jake Lupin. I've memorized all our books too, but I haven't tried any spells. I'm a halfblood."

"I'm Harry Potter. I'm a halfblood. My parents are both like us, but my dad is a pureblood, and my mum is a muggleborn like you."

"You're Harry Potter? Son of James and Lily Potter?"

"Yes."

"Didn't your dad defeat Voldemort single-handedly when you were only a baby?"

"Yes."

"And isn't your dad Seeker on the English Quidditch team?"

"Yes."

"And aren't you the heir of Gryffindor?"

"YES!"

"Wow, you're going to be famous at Hogwarts. Well, I'd better go keep looking for Neville's toad," she explained, and left.

"Great, just great," Harry grumbled. Jake laughed.

The compartment door opened again, and in walked Megan, Alexia, Jesse, and Melody. Melody had gotten along quite well with them at Harry's birthday party, and they had immediately welcomed her into their group. Alexia and Megan had always been best friends, so Jesse was sometimes left out. Melody became her new best friend.

Megan Huttwell was a cheery, outgoing girl, with a laugh that was so funny that you couldn't help but laugh yourself. It wasn't as though it was a stupid laugh that made you laugh at her, it was just contagious, so you couldn't help but laugh with her. Megan also claimed that she had a bottle of hyperness in her head, and if she touched her nose, it would all flow out, and if she touched it again, she would calm down. Often Alexia or Jesse would have to touch her nose just to make her shut up. She loved to eat sugar, and Canada Dry ginger ale was her favourite drink. She had a can of it every day. She had curly, pitch-black hair, and chocolate brown eyes. Megan was muggleborn, but adopted into a wizarding family, so she was really surprised when she got her letter. Her father was Chaser on the English Quidditch team.

Alexia Foxgauer was also very outgoing, but not as hyper as Megan. She had straight, long blonde hair, and blue-green eyes. Alexia was a pureblood, with one sister and two brothers. Her sister's name was Mary, and her brothers were Corey and Craig. Her father was the Keeper on the English Quidditch team.

Jesse Longton was quieter than Megan and Alexia, a bit more like Melody. Jesse was a bit of a tomboy, with chestnut brown hair cut just above her ears, and pale blue eyes. She was very athletic, and had a good sense of humor. Jesse was a pureblood also, with one older sister, Kristine. Her mother was a Chaser on the England Quidditch team.

A loud whistle sounded, and Harry knew the rain was about to depart. "Where's Derek?" he asked. "What if he misses the train?"

"Why would you think such a thing? It is always good to be fashionably late," came a voice from the doorway. Harry looked up. There was Derek, standing there with his hair all tousled, sweat pouring down his face. He fell to the ground at Jake's feet.

"What did you do run here?" Harry asked.

"Pretty much."

They all laughed. The train ride was very eventful. At first they sat happily eating pile after pile of candy, until a boy named Draco Malfoy walked in with two other large boys. Harry had heard of the Malfoys. They had been on the dark side with Lord Voldemort, and when Harry's parents defeated him, Lucius Malfoy went to take his place. He left his family and never spoke to them again. Of course, Draco was only 1 at the time, so had no memories at all of his father. Lucius Malfoy had seemed threatening when Voldemort was around, but he was nothing without his master. Nobody was all that worried. But Draco was angry with the Potters for the fact that he hadn't met his Father. So he came to make trouble.

"My, my, my, if it isn't Harry Potter, son of the famous James Potter. What a charming thing you are, its such a pity we'll have to pound you to bits," Malfoy smirked. Harry, Jake and Derek all jumped up. Sure, Malfoy's goons were pretty big, but they were fit and muscular from playing Quidditch. So they took them on, and were easily winning the fight.

Suddenly a loud voice came from the hallway, warning the students that they would be arriving soon and needed to get changed into their robes. Malfoy and his two friends took this as an opportunity to leave without appearing to be running away.

"We'll continue this later," Malfoy said, wiping the blood from his mouth and turning to leave.

Harry, Derek and Jake then gathered up their things and went to find a different compartment to change in so that the girls could have provacy.

Just across the hall from them was a boy with bright orange hair and a long nose sitting by himself, looking gloomy, and eating what looked like dried up sandwiches. Derek knocked on the door. The boy's face seemed to brighten as he motioned for them to come in.

"Hi!" he said. "I'm Ron Weasley, and I'm a first year. Who're you?"

"Jake Lupin."

"Derek Black."

"Harry Potter."

"Harry Potter? Son of James Potter?" Ron asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, why?"

"Well not only did he single-handedly defeat Lord Voldemort, while nobody else had ever even lived when he decided to kill them, let alone kill him themselves. And, he is also the greatest Quidditch player of his time!"

"Is he really? Well, I never." Harry said sarcastically, but Ron didn't notice. Jake and Derek chuckled.

"Well, what we really came here for was to change into our school robes."

"Oh, yes school robes. Right. Yes, you can change in here. Whatever," Ron mumbled.

The boys changed quickly, talking happily about school and Quidditch.

"Do you know what I just read in 'Hogwarts, A History'?" Jake asked. "I read that before Voldemort was defeated, all seven years were at Hogwarts. He had somehow managed to keep most muggleborn witches and wizards off the list, but not all. And, from all the people that he killed, when he died our population jumped. So, not everyone could fit into Hogwarts, so they kept Hogwarts for the first to fourth years, and the rest went to a new school they created called Magtons. They got Albus Dumbledore's brother, Aberforth, to be headmaster for that school."

"So that's why they have Hogwarts and Magtons! My mum was asked to be Charms teacher at Magtons!" Harry exclaimed. "But she turned down the job because she didn't want to leave Rebecca at home alone. Besides, with my dad playing, Quidditch, he's hardly ever home, so somebody has to stay with her."

"My dad is going to be DADA teacher at Hogwarts this year!" Jake groaned.

"That shows just how desperate they are!" Derek laughed. Harry and Jake punched him, and Ron chuckled as the train pulled into the station.

Author's Note: There I'm finally done! It's so long! I hope you like it and review! Sorry I took so long! Just to let you know, Megan, Jesse and Alexia were inspired by my 3 best friends, but I changed their names. Review!

Gryffindor Girl


	5. Sorting

Author's Note- Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I hope you keep reading and reviewing. I'm open for suggestions but please no flames.

Chapter #5

Sorting

"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!" "HUFFLEPUFF!" "Finnegan, Seamus!" "GRYFFINDOR!" "Ford, Amy!"

"RAVENCLAW!" "Foxgauer, Alexia!"

"GRYFFINDOR!" "Gansey, Michael!" "SLYTHERIN!" "Gellor, Peter!"

"GRYFFINDOR!" "Gemterson, Moira!' "SLYTHERIN!" "Granger, Hermione!" "GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry stood patiently in the long line of students with Jake and Ron, knowing it would be a while before he was called. Students all around him were talking and whispering, and many of the students at the tables were complaining about how this took too long and how they were hungry. Harry himself couldn't wait to try the Hogwarts food. His father and mother had often told him about how good the food was here.

"Karson, Sean!" "HUFFLEPUFF!" "Kamille, Brian!" "RAVENCLAW!" "Kendermont, Nicole!" "SLYTHERIN!" "Lakison, Janie!" "RAVENCLAW!" "Lakison, Betty!" "RAVENCLAW!" "Longbottom, Neville!" "GRYFFINDOR!"

"Longton, Jessica!" "GRYFFINDOR!" "Lupin, Jake!" "GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry clapped as his friend raced over to the Gryffindor table, and sat down near Derek. Alexia, Megan, and Jesse were already there too. He hoped that he, Ron and Melody would be sitting at that same table soon.

The next boy to go up was Malfoy. The second the hat touched his head he was sorted into Slytherin, of course. As Malfoy slunk over to the table, they caught each other's eyes and glared at each other. Harry hated him.

The time ticked by slowly. The list seemed everlasting. Finally his name was called.

"Potter, Harry!"

Harry walked nervously up to the front. Ron and Melody gave him supportive grins as he passed. He quickly sat himself down on the wooden stool and shoved the hat over his head.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry grinned and pulled the hat off of his head. Cheers erupted from the Gryffindor table. Harry jogged happily over, and sat down between Jake and Derek. Two identical red-haired boys sat across from them.

"Hello," one of them said. "I'm Fred Weasley, and this is my twin, George. Brothers of Ron Weasley over there. You met him yet?"

Harry, Jake, and Derek nodded.

"Well then, welcome to Gryffindor. You've been sorted into the right house. Slytherins are gits, Hufflepuffs are pansies, and Ravenclaws are nerds. Gryffindor is the right place to be. We're the trouble-makers around here, me and George. Trying to break the detention record before we graduate. We already have 467," he told them proudly.

"Who holds it now?" Jake asked.

"Sirius Black and James Potter with 874 each."

Harry and Derek looked at each other in surprise. "Uh, my dad's James Potter, and his is Sirius Black," Harry explained.

"Really? Well you must be Harry Potter then. We weren't really listening to the sorting. We were planning a prank on old Snape over there."

"Oh great," Harry sighed. "Snape. My father's arch enemy. He'll hate me."

"And me," Derek agreed.

"Don't worry about it," George said. "He hates everybody except the Slytherins. So your dads are really James Potter and Sirius Black? They're our heroes, the reason we kept up our mischief." And then in an undertone he added to Fred, "Along with Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs of course."

Jake, Derek and Harry exchanged looks of surprise.

"Uh, guys." Jake said. "At school, my dad's nickname was Moony, James' was Prongs, Sirius' was Padfoot, and Peter Pettigrew's was Wormtail. But he went over to the Dark side and is in Azkaban now."

Fred and George stared at them with open mouths. "You guys have the coolest dads in the world!" George exclaimed.

Harry, Derek and Jake laughed. The Sorting was over, and Ron and Melody joined them at the Gryffindor table. The feast was wonderful and everybody had a good time. Ron sat across from them, between his two brothers. George held him down while Fred counted every freckle on his face. It was very amusing. Harry introduced himself to the other new Gryffindors. Hermione Granger, the girl from the train, sat by herself with her nose in a book. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil also kept to themselves, giggling and whispering the whole time. The other new girls on the other hand, Vanessa Baxter, Natasha Montclair, and Courtney Knobs sat a few seats down from Harry and his friends, and spent the whole time fixing their make-up and flipping their hair flirtatiously at Harry, Jake and Derek. Jesse, Melody, Alexia and Megan of course were sending them disgusted looks.

Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas seemed pretty friendly as well, but Peter Gellor, Jason Carlton, and Riley Posh just scowled at him and kept to themselves. Harry decided to keep his distance from them.

After the feast was over and everyone was stuffed with delicious foods, Dumbledore stood up and made an announcement.

"Welcome students, to a new year at Hogwarts! I hope we have a wonderful year, and that you all study hard and stay out of trouble. I would like to introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Remus Lupin!" (pause for claps) Jake hid his face in his hands. "Yes, yes that's enough now. I would also like to remind you that the Forbidden Forest is in fact, forbidden. And of course, we will be having our usual "start of school year ball" on Saturday, September 14. Everyone is welcome, but you must bring a date, or else you can't get in. We will also be having a singing contest on that same night. You can sing in groups of 4 at the most. More information will be posted in your common room soon. Oh yes, one last thing, the Quidditch try-outs will be held next week. It is up to the captains to decide which days each team will be holding try-outs. That is all. Now off to bed. Fourth- years, please lead the first years there. Classes start bright and early tomorrow morning. Now chop-chop, get going!"

Harry stood up and trudged out of the Great Hall sleepily with the others, thinking about the ball. He would ask Melody of course, if he had the guts. But what if somebody else asked first? What if she said no? But she even said on his birthday that she liked him right? He couldn't get those thoughts out of his head. And then suddenly, thinking back to that day, he remembered that the question she had been asked was "Who do you like the most in this room?" She had just chosen him over Derek and Jake. What if that didn't mean anything at all?

HURRAY! I'm done! I'm so sorry I took so long, but with Christmas and everything, I had no time. Happy New Year everybody! And Slytherin Girl, I beat you, and you were half-way done your chapter before I even started! HAHAHA! But my probably isn't as long. but still.. I WIN! YAY! Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter, the next one will be Harry asking Melody, and maybe the ball I dunno. PLEASE REVIEW!

Gryffindor Girl


	6. The Question

Author's Note- Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I hope you keep reading and reviewing... I'm open for suggestions but please no flames.

Chapter #6

It was Monday, September 9th, the Monday before the ball. Harry still hadn't asked Melody, but as far as he knew, she didn't have a date yet. The day's work was over, and Harry and his friends sat in the deserted common room peacefully. Although it was almost midnight, none of them felt like going to bed.

Harry sat lazily on the couch, gazing at the peaceful scene in front of him. Jake and Derek were sitting on the floor playing chess, and Derek was swearing at the fact that he only had a knight and his king left over, while Jake had much more. Melody and Jesse sat in the armchairs by the fire, Jesse finishing her History of Magic homework, and Melody curled up peacefully reading a muggle book called "The Lord of the Rings." Snitch lay contentedly on her lap, and she petted him as she read. Ron sat beside him on the couch reading "Quidditch Through the Ages," which Harry had lent him. Alexia and Megan were both lying on their stomachs on the floor, trying to master the Wingardium Leviosa charm. They both looked very frustrated.

All of a sudden, Natasha Montclair, one of the snobby Gryffindor girls, walked into the room from the girl's dormitory. She wore a tube top and a mini skirt. Everybody scowled at her, but she just smiled sweetly at Harry.

"Hi Harry," she said flirtatiously, sitting down on the back of the couch near Harry's head and playing with his hair. Harry pushed her away.

"What do you want?" he growled in disgust.

"I was just wondering why you haven't asked me to the ball yet," she said sweetly, giving Harry puppy dog eyes.

"Maybe 'cause I'm never gonna!"

"WHAT! Why not? Who are you going with?" she demanded, her face red with rage.

"Well..." Harry said slowly wondering if this was the right time, "I haven't actually asked her, but I was hoping Melody would go with me."

Harry looked hopefully over at her. She blushed bright red and grinned at him.

"I'd love to," she whispered. Harry broke into a huge grin.

"Fine then," Natasha snapped, hands on her hips. "But you don't know what you're missing Harry. You could be going with a real girl, a pureblood, instead of that shy, tomboy, mudblood slut."

Harry, Jake, Derek and Ron all jumped up in rage. But Jesse beat them to it.

"If I ever hear you calling my best friend anything like the again, I will make sure you wish you'd never been born. Got it?" she hissed at Natasha, who nodded obediently before running back into her dorm.

Looking very pleased with herself, Jesse sat back down. Harry looked over at Melody to see if she was upset. She seemed unbothered by what Natasha had said, but she was smiling gratefully at Jesse. Their eyes met and Jesse smiled at her too. Harry could tell that they'd be best friends for a long time.

"Who do you hope asks you to the ball?" Melody asked her friends later that night when they were getting ready for bed. She shared a dorm with Alexia, Jesse, Megan, and Hermione Granger, while Vanessa, Natasha, Courtney, Parvati and Lavender shared the other first year girls' dorm. Melody thought Hermione was a very nice girl, and they were kind of friends, but Hermione was too focused on school to hang around with them. She was already asleep now.

"Derek," Alexia said dreamily, flopping down onto her bed. Megan said she couldn't care less, as long as she got a date and was able to go. Jesse agreed.

"Are we going to enter the singing competition?" Alexia asked.

"I think we should," Megan said. Jesse and Melody nodded in agreement.

"Good," Alexia said mischievously, "Because I heard the most perfect song the other day that we just HAVE to use! It'll be so funny!"

The other girls gathered around her to hear her idea, and they excitedly began to make plans.

Meanwhile in the boys' dorm... 

"Who are you guys asking to the ball?" Harry asked the other boys as they too were getting ready for bed. Harry was so happy that he had finally asked Melody. He felt like he was floating.  
"Alexia," Derek said simply, without looking embarrassed at all. Jake and Ron were a different story.

"I'm not sure..." Jake said quietly, his cheeks turning pink.

"Yes you are," Harry argued. "Come on, tell us!"

"Megan," Jake sighed.

"I told you you knew. There's nothing to be ashamed of. What about you Ron?"

Ron admitted that he didn't know who to ask.

"How about that Hermione girl? The really smart one? Why don't you ask her?" Derek suggested.

Ron looked skeptical. "I don't know… her teeth are kind of big…"

Harry threw a pillow at him. "Don't be a jerk Ron. Your standards are too high. Just ask her."

"I guess I'd might as well. It's not like I can do much better anyways."

"Take a look at this guys!" Derek exclaimed, pulling a sheet of paper out of his pocket.

"What is it?"

"Information about the ball. It's going to be posted in the common room tomorrow," Derek explained with a shrug.

"Where'd you get it then?"

"I nicked it off of McGonagall's desk during detention."

Harry read it carefully. This is what it said: Good morning Hogwarts students. As you all probably know, there will be a "start of school year ball" on Saturday, September 14th. All ages are welcome, but you must have a date to get in. Girls can either wear dress robes or a muggle-style dress, while boys must wear dress robes. There will also be a singing contest the same night. You can be in groups of 4 at the most. The ball starts at 6:00 pm and ends at 1:00 am. There will be no classes on Friday so that the 3rd and 4th years can go into Hogsmead to shop for their outfits. All the other years must get their outfits sent from home. See you then!

Signed,

Albus Dumbledore

Melody sat awake in bed, still unable to sleep. She pulled a piece of parchment out from her beside table, along with a quill and some ink, and began to write a letter home.

Dear Mum, Dad and Brian,

How are things going at home? I miss you all, but I'm having a great time here. The classes are much more interesting than the muggle classes I used to take. Haha Brian, you still have to! We are having a start of the school year ball, and I'm going with Harry. The thing is, we have to wear a dress and I don't have one with me (obviously). I was hoping you could pick one out for me mom. But please, nothing too frilly or pink. I'd really like a blue one if you don't mind. I'll trust you to send me a good one.

I was wondering if you could ask my coach if I could still play soccer this summer. I miss it a lot, although the wizarding sport Quidditch is fun too. I think I might try out for the team. I hope I can still play soccer this summer, although without practicing over the winter, I might not even make the team. I hope I do.

Well, I'd better be going to bed. The ball is this Saturday, so please send the dress as soon as possible. I'll mail this letter tomorrow morning, which'll be Tuesday. Please write back!

Lots of Love,

Melody


	7. The Ball

Author's Note- Thanks to the two people who reviewed my last chapter. I guess nobody's interested in my story. If I don't get 5 reviews at least for this chapter I'm not continuing the story.

Chapter #7

Harry sat down at the nearly deserted Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. Only the first and second years were there, since it was Friday, the day before the ball, and the 3rd and 4th years were in Hogsmeade. Derek sat to the left of Harry, wolfing down his breakfast, as were Jake and Ron, who sat on the other side of him. Jesse, Megan and Alexia were all whispering excitedly about their plans for the ball, and Hermione, who sat near them, had her nose in a book.

Everybody had dates for the ball now. Alexia had happily agreed to go with Derek, along with Megan and Jake. Ron had finally managed to find the courage to ask Hermione, who smiled at him, said "Sure", and went back to her book. Jesse was going with a first year Ravenclaw named Daniel. And Harry and Melody were still going together.

Harry looked across the table at Melody. She sat quietly, with her chin in one hand and the other pushing her breakfast around her plate with her fork. She looked upset.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked in concern.

"My mum hasn't sent my dress yet," she replied glumly. "Everybody else already has theirs."

"I'm sure it'll come..." Harry began, but was cut off by the sound of owls. He looked up and saw Melody's owl Trixie along with 2 school owls carrying a large package. Melody looked up too, and grinned.

"Finally," she sighed, petting Trixie's head when the 3 owls landed. Trixie hooted affectionately and then flew away with the other 2. Melody ripped the envelope off the top of the package, opened it up, and poured out the contents. Two letters fell onto the table. She picked up the longest one and read:

Dear Melody,

I'm sorry it took so long to send the package, but I had to find the perfect dress. Don't worry it is not pink or frilly. But I won't ruin the surprise of you opening it. I really hope you like it. The ball sounds like fun, and I'm glad you have a date there with Harry. At least we know him. But your father and I would like to remind you that you are only 11, and too young for a boyfriend.

You coach says that it is fine for you to try out for the team in the summer. We've sent a soccer ball in the package as well, so practice when you can. When you come home for Christmas your coach might take a look at you in a gym just to see if you're still all right. But he knows you can play, so it should be fine. Practice just in case, but don't forget your schoolwork.

We hope you have fun at the ball, and you're just lucky I'm not there to take a picture and embarrass you. Write back and tell us all about it!

Love,

Mom and Dad

Melody put down the letter and picked up the other short one, which was from Brian.

To Mels:

Melsie has a boyfriend!! Haha! See, I can still be a good older brother, even from miles away. Your lucky that mum isn't there with you. She was freaking out as soon as she found out that you were having a ball at your school. She spent so much time shopping, and goodness knows how much money she spent. We all miss you here. I miss playing football in the backyard with you. I'll see you at Christmas I suppose.

Brian

"Hey guys, I got my dress!" Melody told her friends happily.

"Really? Let's go open it up!" Alexia exclaimed. Without another word, Melody, Megan, Alexia, Jesse, and even Hermione, left the Great Hall and hurried away.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"Why do girls take so long to get ready?" Derek grumbled. It was the evening of the Ball, and Harry, Derek, Jake and Ron were waiting in the Common Room for their dates. Harry glanced at his watch. It was 5:58. Two minutes left before the ball.

At that moment, somebody (Harry wasn't sure who) yelled, "We're ready!" from up the stairs that lead to the girls' dorm. Harry and the others all stood up from their seats on the couch and waited expectantly for their dates.

Jesse was the first one down the stairs. She wore a short, simple denim dress with a few embroidered flowers on it. There was no make-up on her face, which looked disgusted at the mere idea that people would see her in a dress, and her arms were crossed over her chest. Her short hair was in cornrows at the top of her head.

Alexia was the next one down the stairs. She looked much happier to be where she was than Jesse. She wore a long, tank top styled, silvery-pink dress and a little white jacket over top. Her straight blonde hair had been curled into ringlets, and she had a bit of eye shadow over her blue-green eyes. She also had on some lip-gloss. Harry thought she looked stunning. Derek grinned at her, and she grinned back.

The third person down the stairs was Megan. She was wearing a sleeveless, sparkly blue top and a long, lighter blue skirt. Her curly black hair had been straightened, and she was actually wearing it down, which was a change from her usual ponytail. She too was only wearing eye shadow and lip-gloss. Harry looked over at Jake. His mouth hung open in shock.

After Megan came Hermione. She was the only one of them wearing dress robes, which were made of a floaty, periwinkle-blue material. She had done something with her hair as well; it was no longer bushy, but sleek and shiny, and twisted into an elegant knot at the back of her head. She was grinning, and to Harry's great surprise, it looked as though her front teeth were much smaller than usual. Ron looked amazed and pleased at the sight of her.

Melody was the last one down the stairs. Harry gasped when he saw her. She wore a knee length, baby blue dress made out of the same floaty material as Hermione's robes. It was spaghetti-strapped, with pretty red flowers on the blue material. Her hair, which looked a lot blonder than usual, was in twists at the top of her head, and the rest of her hair was in a messy bun. She wore a bit of eye shadow and lip-gloss, as well as some sparkles on her cheeks.

"Worth the wait?" she asked, stopping in front of Harry.

"Yep," he grinned, and they headed down to the ball together.

The ball was a blast. Nobody paid much attention to whom they went to the ball with... they all just danced with everybody. Harry danced the first dance with Melody, but then danced with Alexia, then Megan, and then Hermione. Jesse only danced once with Daniel, and then refused to dance anymore.

After a few dances, Harry and his friends sat down to eat. Others were still on the dance floor, and Harry watched them in amusement. Professor Dumbledore was dancing with Professor McGonagall, the Transfiguration teacher, little Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, was dancing with the nurse, Madam Pomfrey, and Professor Lupin, Jake's father, was dancing with another teacher that Harry didn't know. Jake watched him in disgust. At the teacher's table, Professor Snape sat, drinking out of his goblet and scowling at everybody in the hall, along with a very large man Harry had seen working on the grounds who he was pretty sure was named Hagrid or something like that.

A few students were still dancing too. Malfoy was dancing with a very large Slytherin girl named Pansy Parkinson, who was hugging him close to her body and stepping on his feet. Seamus Finnegan was with Lavender Brown, Dean Thomas was with Parvati Patil, and Neville Longbottom was with a clumsy muggle-born Hufflepuff girl named Sarah. All the mean first year Gryffindor boys, (Riley, Peter ) were with Vanessa, Natasha and Courtney. Fred Weasley danced with a pretty dark girl and George danced with a tall tanned girl who seemed to be leading him very forcefully.

Harry helped himself to some steak and mashed potatoes, and soon the whole dance floor cleared off and everybody was eating. It was a good dinner, and Harry was stuffed when he was done.

"This will be the last dance before the singing competition," came Dumbledore's magically magnified voice over the crowd. A slow song started. Many couples headed out onto the dance floor. Harry looked at Melody.

"You up for it?" he asked. She grinned and nodded. Harry took her hand and they walked onto the dance floor together. Harry put his hands around her waist and she put hers on his shoulders.

"Are you guys doing anything in the singing competition?" Melody asked him as the moved slowly to the music.

"Naw, are you?"

"Yeah."

"What song are you guys doing?" Harry questioned.

"You'll see in a minute," she said with a wink, and Harry didn't question her any further.


	8. Cuz I'm a Blonde

Author's Note- Thanks to the 5 people who reviewed my last chappie! YAY! I have 43 reviews and I'm hoping to get to at least 50. Please review when you're done reading. I'll review your stories... even ask my other reviewers!!  
  
Chapter #8  
  
Derek yawned obviously. "This is soooo boring!!"  
  
Harry nodded in agreement. Three groups had already gone for the singing competition; a group of 4th year boys who dedicated the song "The Reason" by Hoobastank (A/N- I love that song!) to their girlfriends, a solo second year girl who did a horrible opera song (Harry was surprised that all their glasses didn't shatter) and two 2nd year girls who sang the song "A Thousand Miles" by Vanessa Carlton (sp? Is that who wrote it?).  
  
"When are Alexia, Megan, Jesse and Melody going?" Jake asked in a bored tone. Harry and Derek shrugged. Hermione had her nose in a book, and Ron was watching her with a dazed look on his face.  
  
"And next up we have 3 Gryffindor girls named Vanessa Baxter, Natasha Montclair and Courtney Knobs singing "Naughty Girl" by Beyoncé!" Dumbledore said in his magically magnified voice. Harry, Jake, Derek, Ron, and Hermione all groaned as the three girls walked onto the stage wearing very... err... revealing outfits. Harry scowled as they sang their song and danced to it (you can imagine their dance shudder).  
  
"Our last performance of the night will be from Melody Williams, Alexia Foxgauer, Jesse Longton, and Megan Huttwell of Gryffindor!"  
  
"Does anybody know what they're singing?" Derek asked. All the other boys just shook their heads and shrugged while Hermione said "Wait and see."  
  
The four girls walked onto the stage. Harry's jaw dropped. They were all wearing the same thing, blue jeans and a red halter-top. But they looked so... different. Well, Alexia didn't, but the others did... they were all blonde! Well, Melody only looked a little different, but Megan and Jesse, who usually had their dark hair, looked a lot different.  
  
All the boys raised their eyebrows at each other and turned back to the stage as the girls began to sing.  
  
"Because I'm a blonde, I don't have to think. I talk like a baby, and I never pay for drinks. Don't have to worry 'bout getting a man If I keep this blonde and I keep these tan, 'Cause I'm a blonde, yeah, yeah, yeah. 'Cause I'm a blonde, yeah, yeah, yeah. I see people workin, it just makes me giggle 'Cause I don't have to work; I just have to jiggle. I'm a blonde, B-L-O-N-D. I'm a blonde; don't you wish you were me?  
  
I never learned to read, and I never learned to cook. Why should I bother when I look like I look? I know lots of people are smarter than me, But I have this philosophy: So what? 'Cause I'm a blonde, yeah, yeah, yeah. I see girls without dates, and I feel so sorry for 'em, 'Cause whenever I'm around, all the men ignore 'em, 'Cause I'm a blonde, nyah, nyah, nyah. 'Cause I'm a blonde, nyah, nyah, nyah.  
  
They say that to make it, you need talent and ambition. Well, I got a TV show, and this was my audition: Umm ... okay ... what was it? ... umm ... Don't tell me ... Oh, yeah, okay. "Duck, Magnum, duck!" 'Cause I'm a blonde, yeah, yeah, yeah. 'Cause I'm a blonde, yeah, yeah, yeah.  
  
I took an IQ test, and I flunked it of course. I can't spell VW, but I gotta Porsche, 'Cause I'm blonde, B-L-I-N-D. 'Cause I'm a blonde; don't you wish you were me?  
  
[spoken] I just want to say that being chosen this month's Miss August Is, like, a compliment that I'll remember for as long as I can. Right now I'm a freshman in my fourth year at UCLA, But, my goal is to become a veterinarian 'cause I love children!  
  
'Cause I'm a blonde, yeah, yeah, yeah. 'Cause were a blonde, yeah, yeah, yeah.  
  
Girls think I'm snotty, and maybe it's true. With my hair and body, you would be too. I'm a blonde, B-L- ... I don't know! 'Cause I'm a blonde, yeah, yeah, yeah. 'Cause I'm a blonde, yeah, yeah, yeah. 'Cause I'm a blonde, yeah, yeah, yeah!" (AN- READ AIUTHOURS NOTE AT BOTTOM OF CHAPTER!)  
  
Harry and almost everybody else in the Great Hall were laughing when they finished their song. There were hoots and catcalls from some of the boys (Derek started chucking food at them if he saw who did it). Ten minutes later, the 4 girls joined them again. Their hair was back to normal.  
  
"Nice song," Harry commented. The others nodded in agreement.  
  
"Thanks!" the girls chorused.  
  
"So how'd you get your hair to be blonde?" Jake asked in an interested voice.  
  
"Flitwick showed us the charm," Alexia explained. "But we weren't 100% sure we could do it, so we got him to. We didn't want to mess the charm up because, no offense or anything, but Jesse and Megan are horrible blondes."  
  
Everybody laughed, and began talking about who would be in the top 3. They all agreed that "The Reason" would be in third place, and "A Thousand Miles" might be their only tough competition for first.  
  
About 15 minutes later, Dumbledore stood up again, and the whole Hall was quiet.  
  
"We teachers have talked about the performances, and we all think that most of you, ahem, I mean, all of you... did a very good job. We have chosen the top 3 performances, which was pretty tough. So, without further suspense, our third place winner, for a 25 galleon shopping spree in Hogsmeade, we have the group who sang "The Reason" by Hoobastank! Please come up and retrieve your prize!"  
  
There was lots of clapping and cheering as the boys went up to get their prize. They looked happy that they came in third, but probably wish that they had gotten a different prize.  
  
"Our runner up, who wins a 50 galleon shopping spree in Hogsmeade, is the group who sang, "A Thousand Miles" by Vanessa Carlton!"  
  
The two girls exchanged high fives and ran up to Dumbledore to receive their prize. There was lots of clapping and cheering again. Natasha, Vanessa, and Courtney looked over at Melody and the others as if to say "We're obviously going to win first place."  
  
Dumbledore cleared his throat and said, "And our first place winner, for their names engraved on this trophy next to me and a 100 galleon shopping spree in Hogsmeade is the group that sang 'Cuz I'm a Blonde!'"  
  
"YES!" the girls all cheered, jumping into the air and hugging each other. They hurried up to the front to gather their prize, talked to Dumbledore about something quickly, and then skipped back to the others.  
  
"What were you talking to Dumbledore about?" Jake questioned.  
  
"We wanted to know if we could go on the next Hogsmeade trip to spend our money. He said we could. We also asked if Hermione could come with us, and he agreed to that as well."  
  
Hermione's eyes widened. Harry wondered if she had many friends in the muggle world, and that was why she was so reclusive (AN- is that a word?). Harry doubted she had any.  
  
"Thanks guys!" Hermione said happily. "When's the next Hogsmeade trip?"  
  
"Hallowe'en, but we're gonna use the money then to buy all our Christmas presents early," Jesse explained.  
  
"We have 100 galleons," Megan said with a sly smile. "Do you know what this means girls?"  
  
The other three girls grinned and cheered, "We're going SHOPPING!" (AN-White Chicks! Great movie!)  
  
AN- and that's the end of this chapter. I would just like to say that I have nothing against blondes (I am one), and I think it's a mean stereotype. But isn't that song funny, you have to admit. I don't think all blondes are stupid, just some, and they would be stupid anyways. A friend of mine, who is a blonde and a newfie (also a mean stereotype) really has her blonde moments sometimes. But she is in the gifted program at school. Another friend of mine, who is a red-head, also has her moments, even though she's not a blonde. We always joke that she should be a blonde. I think that the blondes that are stupid would be stupid no matter what their hair colour. Please don't get mad at me for the song. It's Slytherin Girl's favourite song (she's a blonde), and I had to use it.  
  
I'm sorry if this wasn't that great of a chapter, but I had to use the song. I'm going to my cottage on Sunday, but I hope that when I come back, I'll have over 50 reviews (I have 43 now). Not too hard is it? Please review and I'll review you! It's true I swear!  
  
Gryffindor Girl 


	9. Quidditch Disaster

Thanks to my reviewers of Chapter 8-

Siriuslyfun19212- thanks for the review! I don't like Natasha or her army of skanks either, but they're fun to write. The song was sung by Julie Brown.

Keeper Darius- thanks for the review

Wahooligan08- Ur right, it is a dumb stereotype. Sorry that it took me so long to update, but my brothers are computer hogs so I hardly get a chance to go on. I'm only on now because one's asleep and the other is at baseball.

TLSlark- thanks for the review!

PureWhiteLilly- yes you are the 50th reviewer. I want 1 more review after you. Just 1. But this chapter is all ready to go... But those cookies sound tempting. What kind are they? I like oreos.

Chapter #9

Quidditch Disaster

School started to go by fast as everything settled into a routine. Classes were boring, yes, but Harry and the others survived. Jake really hated DADA, because his father taught it. People made fun of Jake, saying his dad gave him the good marks he got, so now Jake was refusing to participate in that class. The teachers loaded on all the homework, so they hardly got a moment of spare time.

Quidditch tryouts were held. The Gryffindor team had two openings, one for Seeker, which Harry tried out for and got, and one for Keeper, which both Ron and Melody tried out for. Melody got the position, but Ron was the back up.

The first match was nearing, so the captain, Angelina Johnson, was working the team hard. Between classes, homework and Quidditch, Harry and Melody hardly got any sleep. They were lucky they were both pretty smart, so they could get through their homework fast, especially if they worked together.

Melody was pretty much over her crush on Harry. She preferred to be just friends, and she was too busy to think about boys. Harry still kind of liked her, but he didn't make it obvious. He didn't want to date at the age of 11.

The first Quidditch match was to be against Slytherin. Harry was very nervous. He knew Gryffindor had a very good team, but he didn't know how good Slytherin was. Draco Malfoy was their Seeker, and Harry didn't know if he was any good. Malfoy seemed to claim he was amazing, as he marched through the halls talking about how great he was. Harry decided he'd just have to find out for himself at the game.

"Come on you two, eat something," Megan urged on the morning of the Quidditch match. Harry and Melody both just sat there with their faces pale, not eating a thing.

"I'm not hungry," Melody mumbled. Harry nodded in agreement.

"I'll give you a galleon if you eat something," Alexia offered. Melody immediately stuffed a piece of toast in her mouth and held out her hand. Alexia laughed, reached into her bag, and handed Melody a galleon. Then she turned to Harry and gave him an expectant look.

"How about I give you 2 galleons if you shut up," Harry offered with a smirk. Alexia scowled, but held out her hand and accepted the 2 galleons.

Madam Pomfrey blew her whistle and Harry shot up straight into the air above everybody else. A few seconds later, Malfoy was right beside him, since his broom was a lot slower.

"Ready to lose Potter?" he asked with a sneer. Harry ignored him and began searching for the Snitch. It was nowhere in sight.

Malfoy trailed after Harry for the rest of the game. The Snitch was still nowhere in sight, but Gryffindor was winning 50-0. The possession of the Quaffle was pretty much shared equally between Gryffindor and Slytherin, but the Slytherin Chasers couldn't put a goal past Melody. She was doing great. And the fact that they couldn't score was making Slytherin very flustered and angry. So the game was getting a lot rougher.

Within the next 5 minutes, Gryffindor got 7 penalties, and scored 5 of them. The score was now 100-0. Malfoy was not enjoying this at all. He spent his time while he was trailing after Harry either yelling at his teammates or swearing at Harry. Harry actually found this pretty amusing, but didn't bother to respond to Malfoy's jeers. He was too busy searching for the Snitch.

The Gryffindor Chasers had the Quaffle. Angelina made a pass to Alicia Spinnet, who threw the Quaffle to Katie Bell, but a Slytherin intercepted it. The Slytherins now had possession, and were speeding towards the Gryffindor hoops. They shot it towards the right hoop, but Melody pulled off another spectacular save and threw the ball to Angelina. Malfoy swore.

"That's it. I'm taking action," Malfoy grumbled under his breath, flying away towards the Gryffindor hoops. Harry was about to follow him, but then he saw it. The Snitch was fluttering by the Slytherin hoops. This was his chance to finish the game, while Malfoy was on the other end of the pitch. So, leaning forward, Harry started off towards the Snitch.

"Hey Mudblood. Hanging in there alright?" Malfoy jeered when he reached Melody.

"Shut up Malfoy," she snapped without looking at him. She concentrated on the Slytherin

Chasers that were once again approaching her with the Quaffle.

"You sure are stopping a lot of goals mudblood," he continued.

"Shouldn't you be somewhere else Malfoy?"

"I'm fine right where I am. You can't make me move."

"I wasn't trying to. I'm just saying that Harry's probably going to catch the Snitch without you even having a chance of getting it. But I don't know why I'm complaining. You can stay here for as long as you'd like."

"Good. Potter's not going to catch the Snitch anyways. Neither of us have caught a glimpse of it all game."

"Suit yourself."

"I will. Now as I was saying, you have been stopping a lot of our shots this game. And I don't appreciate that."

"That's too bad," Melody said flatly.

"Yes it is. So I was thinking I might have to get you out of the way," Malfoy threatened. Melody paled.

"What do you mean Malfoy?" she asked quietly.

"I mean this... EXPELLIARMUS!" he shouted, pulling his wand out of his sleeve and pointing it at her. Before Melody even had a chance to react, she went flying off her broom and soaring to the ground with a scream.

"See you in hell Mudblood," he muttered, feeling very pleased with himself as a Slytherin Chaser threw the Quaffle into an unguarded hoop.

Harry was inches away from the Snitch. This was too easy. Malfoy was nowhere in sight, and the Snitch was right there waiting for him. He reached out his hand and...

A scream broke through his thoughts. He spun around and saw Melody falling off her broom and soaring to the ground, and Malfoy standing there with his wand pointed at her. Feeling sick to his stomach, Harry snatched the Snitch that was fluttering in front of his face now, and sped off towards her. There was no cheering about the fact that Harry had caught the snitch. Every person in the crowd was watching Melody fall, not knowing what to do.

Harry wished his broom would go faster. Melody was close to the ground now, but he was almost there. He might be able to catch her in time. He was almost there, but then, all of a sudden, his broom came to a halt. He tried again to start flying away, but his broom wouldn't move. He spun around, and there behind him, holding onto the end of the broom, was Malfoy.

"You," Harry hissed, his body filling with rage. Malfoy smirked. "Let go of me, I have to go help her."

"You're too late," Malfoy laughed pointing to the ground. Sure enough, Melody lay there in a crumpled heap. "You'd better watch your back Potter, or your end up just like your mudblood girlfriend."

"Bring it on asshole," Harry muttered, punching Malfoy in the face, and zooming off towards the ground to see if she was okay. Dumbledore was already there, conjuring up a magical stretcher for her.

"Professor is she..."

"Step away Mr. Potter," Dumbledore, interrupted, his voice filled with worry. "I need to get this girl to the hospital wing immediately."


	10. Visiting and Fighting

Thanks to my reviewers of Chapter 9-

Wahooligan08- yes indeed, it was a violent Quidditch match!

Lord73- 10! I'm flattered! (blushes)

Bookworm- here's the update you asked for!

PureWhiteLilly- YUM! Oreos!

Jessica Potter 5- thanks for the review. I can't wait to see your next chapter!

Heichelheim- don't worry, there's still a threat. They just haven't shown their face yet. Be patient, it'll come.

Anjali- thanks for the review and the rating!

Slytherin Girl- you are lazy aren't you? Thanks for the review. Take a lesson from me.. and UPDATE! Lol. Melody is just made up so they can't be mad. Luv ya too!

Siriusly-Obsessed- Malfoy makes me angry too. But don't worry I'm punishing him.

BabyBoo0969- thanks for the review. Here's the update you asked for!

Chapter #10

Visiting and Fighting

"Come on Madam Pomfrey, you have to let us in! She's our friend!" Jesse begged. The other 7 nodded their agreement. They were all standing outside the Hospital Wing, wanting to see how Melody was doing, but Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let them in.

"I already told you, you can't come in. She needs her rest, and besides it would be useless for you to come see her, she's out cold."

"Will she be alright?" Jake asked in concern.

"She'll be fine in a few days Mr. Lupin, as long as I get the chance to treat her. I've been having trouble doing that with all of you trying to get in here."

"Just give us 10 minutes, and we'll be really quiet," Derek pleaded.

"I sincerely doubt you'll be quiet Mr. Black. You couldn't be quiet if your life depended on it."

"Well, I'll be as quiet as I can. Come on, just 10 minutes."

"Absolutely not."

"Please?"

Madam Pomfrey sighed. "It seems that you aren't going to give up. And I'm not getting any work done with all you wasting my time here, so fine, just 10 minutes."

They all grinned and headed into the Hospital Wing. Derek hugged Madam Pomfrey as he passed her in the doorway. She turned red before heading into her office to prepare Melody's medicine.

"Holy crap," Harry murmured when they reached Melody's bed. She lay there with her eyes closed, her skin pale. She looked so fragile, as though the slightest touch would break her into a million pieces. Her left wrist was wrapped up in medical cloth, and her face was bruised and cut.

"Back away now, I have to give Miss Williams her medicine," Madam Pomfrey told them, entering the room with two different bottles.

"How do you give her medicine if she's unconscious?" Megan asked curiously. Madam Pomfrey didn't reply, but pulled open Melody's mouth, poured some medicine down her throat, mumbled a spell, and repeated the same steps with the other bottle of medicine.

"What were those medicines for?" Alexia questioned.

"One heals bruises and cuts, and the other mends broken bones."

"What bones did she break?"

"She broke that arm that is wrapped up, but its pretty much healed, she broke both legs, and 2 ribs. And of course, she got a concussion, but there's no medicine or spell I can give her to wake her up."

"So she might not wake up then?" Ron asked in surprise.

"She will wake up Mr. Weasley, in a few days. She's lucky; she didn't hit her head too hard, just hard enough for a concussion. Most of the damage was done to her body, but that's better since I can heal that. If she had landed a little differently, then she would be unconscious for a lot longer, and she might have some memory loss."

"But she won't?"

"I doubt it. I thought she might, but after checking her over, I don't believe she will. Her brain seemed abnormally strong. She might forget a bit, like the match or something, which might even be for the best. But she might not forget anything at all. We can't know until she wakes up."

"Which should be soon?"

"Yes, I think so. Now, your ten minutes is up, so get out of here. You can come back tomorrow if you'd like though."

"We will," Harry promised. "Thank you for your time."

"It was no problem. I must admit; you were all very quiet. Especially you Mr. Black."

"I never spoke a word," Derek told her proudly.

"Very good. I hope you'll do the same next time you visit."

"Don't count on it," Derek yelled over his shoulder as they left the Hospital Wing. They were all silent for a few moments, taking in everything they had just found out.

"You know what?" Derek said, breaking the silence.

"What?"

"I am so going to kick Malfoy's ass next time I see him."

Meanwhile, in Dumbledore's Office...

"Well Mr. Malfoy, would you care to tell me why you knocked that poor girl off of her broom?" Dumbledore said calmly, but his blue eyes were glowing with anger. Malfoy, who was seated in front of Dumbledore's desk, shrugged.

"I see. You had no reason at all it seems. Just because your team couldn't score on her. Well Mr. Malfoy, I do not tolerate that kind of behavior. So, you must be punished. Professor Snape, what do you think a fair punishment would be?" Dumbledore questioned, turning to Snape, who was seated next to Malfoy.

"Expel him!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed from where she was standing next to Dumbledore. "Stick him in Azkaban for goodness' sake! It was attempted murder! The poor girl could've died, for no reason at all!"

"Minerva, calm down," Dumbledore said quietly. "It is not your place to choose Mr. Malfoy's punishment. It is up to myself, but I am interested to hear Professor Snape's opinion, since he is after all, Mr. Malfoy's head of house."

McGonagall scowled, crossed her arms, and glowered at Malfoy, who smirked. They both knew that Professor Snape would not suggest expel him because he favored him, but would Dumbledore see sense and expel the brat himself? Dumbledore believed in second chances, but he couldn't possibly mean for something like this, could he? He couldn't have the other students thinking that they could get away with attempted murder.

"Well," Snape said slowly, glaring at McGonagall for her interruption, "I think it is a little harsh to expel the boy. After all Dumbledore, doesn't everybody deserve a second chance?"

Dumbledore sighed. "I thought you might say that Severus. Unfortunately, I am obligated to disagree. Mr. Malfoy, you just attempted to murder one of your fellow students! Murder! Did you really think you could get away with it? That nobody would care? No, behaviour like this won't do at all. I have no choice but to expel you."

Malfoy's jaw dropped and his face paled. Expelled? McGonagall looked pleased, and Snape narrowed his eyes but didn't object.

Just then, the door to Dumbledore's office burst open, and the Mister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge bustled in, looking flustered.

"Good afternoon Cornelius," Dumbledore said calmly. "Would you mind waiting outside or coming back later? I'm dealing with a student right now."

Fudge looked at the scene in front of him. "Actually," he said shakily, "That's what I wanted to discuss with you. Would you mind speaking to me in private?"

Dumbledore sighed. He knew where this was going, and he didn't like it. But, being the polite man that he was, he stood up from his desk and followed Fudge out of the office.

"I got here as soon as I heard," Fudge said once they were alone. "Terrible, terrible. Is it true the Malfoy boy is responsible?"

"Yes, he attempted to kill one of his fellow students."

"Well, what's you plan of action? How do you plan to punish him?"

"Expulsion of course!" Dumbledore said.

"Well, see, that's where there's a problem," Fudge said nervously, twirling his top hat in his hands. "I can't allow you to do that."

"And why is that?"

"This boy is the son of the man who vowed to replace Lord Voldemort. We can't risk angering him by expelling his son from Hogwarts."

"Lucius Malfoy has done nothing in the last 10 years to make us feel that there is a need to worry about whether or not we anger him. I think it would be even more dangerous to have his son, who has already proved he is capable of attempting murder, running around my school."

"But what if he goes and joins his father when we expel him? Like you said, he has already proven dangerous. I think it would be safer for you to keep him here on a tight leash and make sure he has no opportunities to harm anyone. I don't care how you do it, but I cannot allow you to expel him Dumbledore. And that's my final word."

Dumbledore glared at the little man, then turned and marched back into his office, slamming the door behind him. The three visitors turned and looked at him curiously.

"Give me your wand Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore said. Malfoy looked as though he might cry as he waited for Dumbledore to snap it in half. Instead, Dumbledore pulled out his own wand and pointed at Malfoy's. He whispered an inaudible spell and then reluctantly handed it back to Malfoy.

"Did you disactivate it?" Malfoy asked quietly. "I thought they snapped them in half when you got expelled."

"I did not disactivate it," Dumbledore replied. "I put a spell on it so that it can no longer perform spells that may harm anyone in any way."

Malfoy, Snape and McGonagall looked confused.

"You are not expelled Mr. Malfoy."

The jaws of everyone in the room fell open. They stood in a shocked silence for a few moments. Finally McGonagall spoke up. "But Dumbledore... he, he could've..."

"Minerva, it is not up to you to choose his punishment," Dumbledore reminded her again, although he completely agreed with her. It was attempted murder.

"Well then, he still has to be punished in some way," Dumbledore continued. "Some sort of detention of course... But for how long?"

"Until Christmas," Snape suggested.

"Christmas?" Malfoy moaned finally speaking up. "Every night? That's completely unfair!"

"Just be happy we didn't expel you boy," Snape growled. He was slightly angry with Malfoy, even though he was his favorite student. He was a bloody idiot to do what he did.

"I believe the boy's right," Dumbledore said quietly. Everybody's mouth dropped open in shock. "No, Christmas won't do. It won't do at all. No, the detentions have to continue for the entire year. For the rest of his career at Hogwarts."

Professor McGonagall grinned, and Malfoy looked like he was about to cry. "Seven years of detention!"

"Sounds good to me," Snape agreed, ignoring Malfoy's protests. "Every night?"

"Yes, every night will be fine," Dumbledore nodded.

"But... but what about Quidditch practices? I won't be able to go to them!" Malfoy argued.

Dumbledore smiled. "Oh you don't need to worry about that. You're kicked off the Quidditch team. Permanently."

Malfoy groaned, and Snape looked like he was going to protest, but he shut his mouth. McGonagall looked much happier then she was before.

"Well, I'm glad that's settled," Dumbledore said, folding his hands. "We will send you a letter by owl every morning notifying you when and where your detention will be. You all may go now."

Malfoy stood up angrily, knocking his chair to the ground. He was kicked off the Quidditch team. With steam coming out of his ears, he stomped towards the door.

"Oh, and Mr. Malfoy?" Dumbledore called after him. Malfoy spun around. "Don't forget, I will have other means of watching you and keeping you out of trouble. If you do anything, and I mean anything, to cause trouble again, don't think you'll get out of expulsion again. I'll have you locked in Azkaban if that's what it takes to keep my students safe."

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"Harry! Derek! Ron! Wake up! It's morning, and we have classes!" Jake yelled the next Monday, shaking each of their shoulders in turn. Harry's eyes fluttered open. Jake was standing over them, showered, dressed and ready for class. Neville's bed was empty, and he could hear the shower running, so Harry figured that was where he was.

Ron moaned and sat up, stretching and rubbing his eyes. Derek either didn't hear Jake's yells or chose to ignore them, because he was still curled up under his blankets. Ron grabbed his robes and stood by the bathroom door, waiting for Neville to finish. Harry felt glad that he had showered the night before as he rolled out of bed, slipped on his glasses and changed into his robes.

"Derek! Get up!" Jake groaned again in frustration, shaking Derek's shoulders. Derek moaned in his sleep and rolled over. Sighing angrily, Jake pushed against Derek's side. To his surprise, his pushing caused Derek to fall off the bed and land on the floor with a thud. His chocolate brown eyes shot open and scanned the scene in front of him. Harry and Ron were both doubled over with laughter, and Jake stood over him, looking mortified.

"You," Derek hissed angrily. Jake's eyes widened with surprise and fear.

"Look Derek, I didn't mean to. You wouldn't wake up, and I didn't want you to be late for classes. It was..."

But Jake cut short when Derek jumped up and started chasing after him around the room.

"You're a dead man Lupin!" he yelled. Harry fell onto his bed laughing and watched in amusement as they jumped over beds in their run, and finally when Derek managed to tackle Jake to the ground. Harry let them play fight for a minute before going over and pulling Derek off of Jake.

"Jake, apologize for waking Derek up," Harry said in a fake stern and serious voice.

"But..."

"I said apologize," Harry repeated.

"Sorry Derek," Jake sighed.

"Now Derek, apologize for tackling and punching Jake."

"Sorry that you can't handle a few punches Jake," Derek laughed. Over by the bathroom door, Ron sniggered behind his hand.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

"What's on the schedule for today?" Ron yawned, joining the others at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall a bit later, since Neville had taken so long in the shower.

"First is Charms, then History of Magic, then lunch, then DADA, and then Potions," Harry told him, helping himself to scrambled eggs and bacon.

"Great, DADA and Potions, the 2 worst subjects, back to back," Jake groaned.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts isn't one of the worst subjects," Harry objected. "I like it."

"Yeah, well, your dad isn't teaching it."

"You know, if you take away lunch, according to you, we have the 3 worst subjects back to back, since History of Magic sucks too," Derek pointed out, spraying some food on Ron while he talked.

"Say it don't spray it," Ron grumbled, wiping pancake crumbs off of him.

"Thanks for lifting my spirits Derek," Jake said sarcastically.

"Anytime," he grinned, spraying Ron again.

"Swallow first!" Ron snapped angrily, causing the others to laugh.

Alexia, Jesse, Megan and Hermione soon joined them for breakfast.

"You guys slept in late," Harry observed.

"No, we just take longer to get ready then you do," Alexia snapped, stuffing some toast into her mouth.

"Why is that? Do you have to put your make-up on?" Derek sniggered.

"No!" Jesse scowled, looking offended. "Some of us just happen to shower, wash our faces, brush our hair, brush our teeth and stuff, which obviously none of you did."

"I showered," Jake objected.

"Me too," Ron agreed.

"I showered last night," Harry said. All eyes turned to Derek. He smiled and shrugged.

"Pig," Megan mumbled under her breath. He flipped her off.

"So Ron, are you coming to Quidditch practice tonight?" Harry asked, changing the subject. If Melody wasn't better by the next Quidditch match, then Ron would have to play Keeper. And, no offense to Ron or anything, but he needed practice if he was going to play next game.

"Yeah," Ron said with a nod. "But I don't see the point. The next Quidditch game isn't for a while, and didn't Madam Pomfrey say she'd be better in a few days?"

"That's true," Harry agreed, "But it's better to be safe then sorry. Besides, a little practice won't kill you. You should come to all the practices so you'll be ready if we ever need you out of the blue."

Ron shrugged and turned back to his food.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

The morning was pretty uneventful. In Charms class they learned the "Wingardium Leviosa" charm, which, thanks to his mother, Harry could perform easily. Harry was the first to get it, and by the end of the class, Hermione and Jake had gotten it too. In History of Magic Harry fell asleep next to Jake, who was making notes intently. Harry decided that he'd just study off of Jake's notes.

During lunch they all talked casually about the mornings classes, headed up to the Gryffindor common room to get a head start on their homework, and, when lunch was over, packed up their things and went to their Defense Against the Dark Arts class, which was extremely boring, since they copied down a note that they would have a test on next week the whole time.

Feeling pretty gloomy, Harry and the others walked to Potions, which they would be having with the Slytherins. Harry hated Potions, but he tried not to think about it and was instead looking forward to Quidditch practice that night.

They got to the dungeons a bit early, so Snape wasn't there yet. They only people outside the door were Malfoy and a few other Slytherins, who didn't notice their presence and continued with their conversation.

"So now I'm kicked off the Quidditch team and have detention every night for the rest of my time at Hogwarts," Malfoy was saying to his friends. "And I'm kicked off the Quidditch team. But I still don't regret what I did. The girl deserved what she got."

Since his back was to them, Malfoy never saw it coming. He never got a chance to defend himself as Harry ran at him and attacked him. Derek, Jake and Ron were right behind him, ready to fight as well. Harry got Malfoy to the ground and was punching him. The other 3 boys were fighting his friends, and the girls were standing out of the way, cheering them on.

"What's going on here!" Snape's voice came from down the hallway. They all stopped dead.

"Fifty points from Gryffindor, 20 points from Slytherin. I don't even want to know why you were fighting. You'll just lie. If any of you need to go to the hospital wing, go. Get out of my sight. Malfoy, get in here. I need to have a word with you" he snarled, walking into the classroom. All of the Slytherins aside for Malfoy, plus Harry, who was nursing a cut over his eye where Malfoy had scratched him, and Derek, who hurt his hand while punching a guy in the head, headed off to the Hospital Wing.

Malfoy cautiously followed Snape into the classroom. Snape was standing behind his desk, his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed.

"Do you think you are above the rules Malfoy? That they don't apply to you?"

"But they started it! They attacked me from behind and. . ."

"I DON'T CARE WHO STARTED IT!" Snape roared. "You're the one who is one mistake away from being expelled, and possibly shipped to Azkaban. The only reason you weren't expelled in the first place was because by keeping you here, we can keep you on a tight leash and watch your every move. But if you give the Headmaster reason to think that you are a continued danger to his students, he will have to find other means of keeping you out of the way. Your every move is going to be watched. Don't think he won't find out about the things you're doing. So for God's sake Malfoy, manage your temper! Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir," Malfoy said quietly.

A/N- Hooray! I'm done! My longest chapter yet I think.

The next chapter will be about Hallowe'en and Hogsmeade (how do you spell it anyway? Is that right?). PLEASE REVIEW!

I really wanted to expel Malfoy (he deserved it) but that would completely ruin my plot. And besides Slytherin Girl would kill me, and then the story would be too... happy. And stories that are too happy get boring. Bad things have to happen, and Malfoy definitely makes bad things happen. I didn't have the heart to expel him. I'm sorry. CoughnotCough. Lol


	11. Recovering and Crying

Thanks to my reviewers of Chapter 10-

english-at-heart- I hope you feel better!

Black-Hood- Thank you very much for the review!

Januarygarnet, wockygal, misty, and Ingrid-Potter- thanks for the reviews!

Gtang- I was actually thinking the same thing! I think I might incorporate that into the story. I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote that. I mostly did it because I wanted Melody to get a spot on the Quidditch team.

Emuerz and Jenn- Here's the update!

Sacred Candybar- That is weird!

Hellion- I'm back!

Chapter #11

Recovering and Crying

Over the next two weeks the gang continued to visit Melody frequently. Madam Pomfrey didn't understand why on earth they wanted to visit her so often since she was unconscious, but they wanted to be at her side when she woke up. They wanted her to know that they were concerned about her, so the remained loyally at her side. They did their homework there and just hung out and talked. Melody slowly recovered, but Madam Pomfrey was unable to say for sure when she would wake up.

It was an ordinary Friday afternoon. Classes were over, so Jesse, Alexia and Megan were lugging their homework to the Hospital Wing to do at Melody's bedside while they chatted about the days' events. Harry and Ron were at Quidditch practice, and Derek and Jake were in detention. Hermione would sometimes go with the others to visit Melody, but today she was busy somewhere else.

"I really hope Melody wakes up soon," Alexia sighed as they entered the Hospital Wing, "because we're ruining our social life, spending all our time at her side."

Megan rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, 'cause there's so much else we could be doing right now. We're missing all the parties and the excitement."

"Ok, you're right; there is nothing better to do around here. I wish there was. If only we could play Quidditch. But really, the only thing we ever do is homework."

"She's right for once you know," Jesse said. "There should be more to do around here. I mean, this is a magical school! Where's all the fun?"

"We should start some clubs or something," Alexia suggested.

"Like what, a book club?" Jesse said sarcastically.

"No, Alexia would want to start an 'I Love Derek' club," Megan teased.

"I do not!" Alexia protested. "But oh my gosh, guess what happened today!"

"What?" Jesse said, rolling her eyes. "Did you make eye contact? Did he say something to you?"

"No! It was way better than any of that! Okay, so I was walking through the Common Room towards the dorm because I forgot one of my books. All of a sudden Riley comes up to me, and asks me out! Eww! He is so gross. I don't think he showers. So naturally, I said no. But he didn't seem to want to take no for an answer, so he was getting all creepy. I was sooo freaked out. But then Derek comes over and steps between us, and then the two of them start arguing, so Derek punched Riley in the stomach! And then he asked me if I was okay! Isn't that awesome!"

"Yeah… awesome," Megan said, laughing.

"I don't see why you said no to Riley. You two would make such a good couple," Melody said in a hoarse voice.

"Oh, shut up Mels," Alexia snapped, not realizing that Melody had just woken up from her concussion. Jesse and Megan, on the other hand, were staring at her in amazement.

"OH MY GOSH! Melody! You're awake!" Alexia exclaimed, finally realizing what was going on. "How long have you been awake?"

"Since the part about the 'I Love Derek' club," she said with a weak smile.

"How are you feeling?" Jesse asked.

"Sore."

"Well, that's not exactly surprising. I'll go tell Madam Pomfrey that you're awake," Megan said, standing up and walking over to her office. Madam Pomfrey quickly came bustling out.

"My goodness, it's true. You're finally awake. Well, I have to treat Miss Williams now, so I would appreciate it if you girls left."

"Aww man! Come on Madam Pomfrey. She's our friend and we haven't talked to her in weeks," they protested.

"The answer is no! You children need to learn to listen when an adult tells you to do something. Now please, leave immediately!"

Grumbling under their breaths, the girls gathered up their things and exited the Hospital Wing.

"Finally! I haven't been able to get a break from your friends in two weeks! They're in here every spare moment they have. They said they wanted to be there when you woke up so that you knew they were there for you or something. The boys are usually with them. You've got some pretty loyal friends you know."

Melody smiled. She appreciated her friends' support.

"So how are you feeling dear?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"Sore," Melody said again.

"Of course you are. You took a mighty fall. Everyone was worried that you were dead. That Potter boy tried to catch you, but Malfoy grabbed the end of his broom. I don't like that Malfoy boy. He should've been expelled."

Melody paled. "He- he wasn't?"

Madam Pomfrey shook her head. "No. I'm not quite sure why. Dumbledore didn't say. But I'm sure he has his reasons."

Melody didn't answer. She was extremely worried. If Malfoy wasn't expelled, that meant he'd be around her every day. That meant he could hurt her again if he wanted to. She would never feel safe knowing he could be right around the corner, waiting for her.

"Alright, now I have to see if you have any memory loss. Do you have any memory of the Quidditch match dear?" Madam Pomfrey asked gently. Melody nodded. She remembered every gruesome detail until the point when she hit the ground. "Do you remember the score?"

"Did Harry catch the Snitch?"

"Yes."

"Then it must've been…250-0."

"Good, and you can do math too. Let's see if you can remember further back. Who is your Charms Professor?"

"Professor Flitwick."

"When is your birthday?"

"August 14th."

"Alright dear, I don't believe you have any memory loss. That's very good, but surprising. You have a strong head, and I guess the medication I gave you helped slightly. It doesn't usually make a difference. You're very lucky you know."

Melody didn't answer. She was reliving the Quidditch match in her head. She didn't want to, but it wouldn't stop. She kept hearing "I mean this…EXPELLIARMUS!" over and over again in her head. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to think of something else. If only she had had some memory loss.

"Are you alright dear?" Madam Pomfrey asked, looking at her in concern.

"Yeah, I'm just tired," Melody lied.

"Alright, I'll just get you your medicine and some sleeping draught. I think it'd be best if you had a dreamless sleep tonight."

Melody nodded and drank her medicine quietly. Within a few minutes, she was fast asleep.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You're free to go Miss Williams," Madam Pomfrey announced a few days later with a warm smile. "Just keep your wrist wrapped up and don't do any physical activity for a while. You'll need to come here every night for a few weeks for your medicine. You got that?"

Melody nodded.

"Good. Have a nice day."

"You too," Melody mumbled, exiting the Hospital Wing cautiously. She half expected to see Malfoy there waiting for her. Instead, she was surprised to see all of her friends waiting outside the door.

"Hey guys. What're you doing here?" she asked.

"We skipped History of Magic to come see you," Jesse explained. "I'm so glad you're finally out of there!"

"Me too," Melody said quietly as she and the others started heading back to the Gryffindor Common Room.

Three nights later, the whole gang except for Melody were sitting and talking in the Common Room. Derek and Alexia were sitting on the couch, and she was leaning against him, Megan was lying on the floor, Jake was reading a book, Harry was staring thoughtfully into the fire and Jesse was playing with Snitch.

"I'm worried about Melody," Megan said suddenly. "I don't know if the rest of you have noticed, but she's been acting weird. She never talks to us, she just keeps to herself, and she barely ever eats."

"I know!" Alexia agreed. "I keep trying to talk to her, but she won't listen. She just changes the subject or says she has somewhere to be. And she keeps disappearing for hours at a time. Does anybody know where she goes?"

None of the others knew.

"Well, she has been through a lot you guys. Maybe she just needs some space," Jake suggested.

"Maybe you're right, but what if you aren't? What if we give her space and something bad happens? What if she hurts herself?" Jesse said in an extremely worried voice.

"Why don't we talk to Dumbledore in the morning? He might have an idea of something we can do to help," Ron suggested.

"Yeah, I guess that's all we can do. So I'll see you all in the morning?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. Goodnight," everyone said before heading up to their dorms.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Nobody knows how to get in?" Megan groaned as the gang stood outside of Dumbledore's office. "Well that's a lot of help."

"Derek, you should know how to get in by now," Jesse snapped. "You've only been to his office like a dozen times already!"

"Hey, I got you here didn't I?"

"Is there a problem?" came a voice from behind them. Everyone turned around. Dumbledore was standing there smiling down on them.

"We just wanted to talk to you Professor," Harry said politely.

"Of course, of course, do come in," he said, walking past them. "Bertie Botts," he said aloud, and suddenly a staircase appeared. Dumbledore started to walk up it. "Follow me, don't be shy."

They all scampered up the steps behind him. Soon they arrived in a large, beautiful room.

"Welcome to my office," Dumbledore said, smiling. He conjured up a few extra chairs. "Please, take a seat."

Everyone quickly sat down in one of the chairs. Dumbledore sat behind his desk. "So, what did you all want to talk about?" he asked curiously.

"Well sir, we have been really worried about Melody lately," Alexia explained.

"Ah yes, Miss Williams. I noticed that too."

"Yes. She hasn't been eating, she doesn't participate in class, and she barely talks to us anymore. We're worried that she's going to hurt herself or something."

"Do you have any idea of why she is acting this way?"

"Obviously! She's afraid! Somebody tried to kill her, and yet she still has to see him every day. Anybody would be scared. He could attack her again at any time. And the memories of what happened are haunting her. She's mumbling in her sleep and waking up in a cold sweat. Once she even woke up screaming! Yet she won't let us help her, and we don't know what to do!" Jesse snapped, almost yelling now. Without saying it, she was blaming a lot of this on Dumbledore. It was his fault that Malfoy was still around. He should've expelled him.

"I know that this is partially my fault—"

"Partially?" Jesse interrupted angrily.

"Please Miss Longton, keep your voice down. As I was saying, I know that this is partially my fault, but I have my reasons for keeping Mr. Malfoy here. You'll just have to trust me."

"So what should we do? Is there anything we can do to help her?"

"Keep trying to be there for her, but don't push her to talk about how she's feeling. Talk about other things that you would normally talk about. Hopefully things will slowly go back to normal. Also, Halloween is coming up, which means the next Hogsmeade weekend. You girls can all take her shopping to get her mind off things," Dumbledore suggested. "Now, its time for breakfast. You should all go down to the Great Hall and eat. Remember what I told you."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Melody woke up in a cold sweat. She had had another nightmare. It was the same as all the others, but she still woke up shaking. In her dreams, the Quidditch match replayed over and over again, and it seemed so real. She could almost feel the pain as she hit the hard ground, but then she always woke up. Right at that moment.

With a small sigh, she climbed out of bed to see that it was morning. All the other beds were empty, but somebody was in the shower. She figured it was Hermione because if it was one of her other 3 friends, the other two would be here waiting. She wondered where Megan, Alexia and Jesse were. She thought about them as the gathered together her clothes for the day. She knew they were worried about her, and she appreciated their concern. But she really didn't want to talk about what happened. She knew that it would probably help her get over it if she talked about it, but she didn't know where to start. She didn't want to tell her friends about how she was afraid to turn around any corners. She didn't want to explain her nightmares to them. It would probably just make them even more worried about her. She just wanted things to go back to normal.

Melody sat down on the ground outside of the bathroom door as she waited for Hermione to finish and pulled her knees to her chest. The room was too silent. When there was noise, at least she could block out the sounds in her head. But in the silence, she couldn't. Everything came flooding back again. The pain, the fear, the anger. She couldn't stop it. She had a breakdown right there on the dormitory floor. She just put her head in her hands and sobbed uncontrollably, which she had tried not to do ever since the incident. She had tried to bottle up her feelings. But now they were all coming out.

A minute later Hermione walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her head.

"Good morning Melody. Do you—"

She stopped when she saw that Melody was crying. "Hey, what's wrong?" she said, kneeling down and placing her hand on Melody's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Melody looked up and wiped her eyes. "Yeah… I'm f-fine. Sorry about that. I was just...just…"

"Hey, you don't have to pretend. I understand that you might not want to talk. But you don't have to bottle up your feelings. We're all here for you."

Melody looked down at her hands as tears started to flow again. She hated crying in front of other people. But she couldn't help it. The tears poured down her cheeks. Hermione pulled Melody into a hug, and she sobbed into her shoulder.

"I'm just s-so scared," Melody moaned through sniffles.

"It's okay to be scared. Anybody would be. But you have to know that we're all here to help you and protect you."

A few minutes later, Melody lifted her head and looked at Hermione. "Thanks," she said quietly, "I needed that."

"Anytime."

"Umm… I would really appreciate it if you didn't tell the others about this."

"Of course," Hermione assured her.

From then on, Hermione and Melody became much closer than they were before. Melody started to go back to normal. Her friends were curious about the sudden change in her, but they didn't push it. They were just glad to have their friend back.

Author's Note- Hey guys! I finally updated! Sorry about the wait… I could only finish this cuz it's summer now. I'd still like 10 reviews before I update, but if I finish before I get 10 I'll just update anyway. I'd really appreciate it if you did review. I like to know that people are actually reading.


	12. Shopping

Thanks to all my reviewers of Chapter #11! Don't have time to name you all, but you're awesome!

Chapter #12

Shopping

"Wake up everybody! It's Halloween! We get to go shopping today!" Alexia yelled excitedly, running around and jumping on everyone's beds. Yawning loudly, Melody pulled the covers off of her and stepped wearily out of bed. Hermione, Megan and Jesse were all doing the same thing, while Alexia stood in the middle of the room, showered, dressed and ready to go.

Melody stumbled over to her trunk and picked out her clothes for the day. She was glad she had showered the night before as she watched Jesse, Megan and Hermione all race to be the first in the bathroom. Megan won, and slammed the door gleefully in their faces. Melody slipped off the pajama pants and tank top she was wearing and put on her clothes for the day. Grabbing her hairbrush, she headed over to the mirror.

"Get those knots out of your hair! You look like a ragamuffin!" the mirror snapped at her. No matter how many times the mirror spoke to her, it still surprised her.

"What do you think the brush is for?" Melody said in an irritated voice, taking the mirror's advice and brushing her hair. She decided to leave it down and straight, since there wasn't much else she could do with it anyways.

Melody looked at her appearance with satisfaction. She wore a pair of black low-rise jeans and a fitted dark pink v-neck t-shirt. Her belt was pink and sparkly, and she wore a black and pink necklace.

"Much better," the mirror said happily, "But pull up your pants," it added, referring to the half inch of skin visible between her jeans and her shirt.

"They're low-rise," Melody said, rolling her eyes, "They're supposed to be like that."

"Then pull down your shirt!"

"I'm good thanks. Gosh, you sound like my mother," she grumbled under her breath as she walked away. She threw her hairbrush back into her trunk and pulled out a black purse and a pair of pink flip-flops. Then she and Alexia talked for a while as they waited for the others to be ready.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Where should we go first?" Megan asked as they began walking towards Hogsmeade after a quick breakfast. They felt slightly out of place amongst the older students, but they didn't care. They were all very excited.

"My sister is always talking about this place called 'The Three Broomsticks'," Jesse said. "Supposedly they have these really great drinks called Butterbeers. Maybe we should go there for a drink first and make our plans for the rest of the day."

The others agreed that it sounded like a good idea, especially since they didn't have any others.

"Do you have any idea where this place is?" Megan asked.

"No, but I'm sure we'll find it."

Ten minutes later, Hermione spotted the crowded pub (A/N- is that what it is? A pub?) across the street. They all rushed over to see what all the fuss was about.

"There's a table!" Alexia said, pointing to the very back of the room. They squished their way through everyone else and finally made it to what seemed like the only empty table in the room.

"Wow, this place must be really popular. Look at all these people!"

"I know! Okay, somebody come with me to the front to get the butterbeers 'cause I can't carry them all myself. Oh yeah, and cough up your money, 'cause I'm not paying!" Jesse ordered.

They all placed a few coins on the table and Megan and Jesse went to get the butterbeers. The other 3 chatted quietly as they waited for their drinks.

"So Alexia," Melody was saying with a grin as Megan and Jesse returned to the table, "Are you and Derek officially going out yet?"

"No! He hasn't asked me out yet! I don't know why though. He seems to like me, doesn't he?" she asked, picking up her butterbeer and taking a sip. "Oh, this is good!" she added.

"Seems to like you? Of course he likes you! Whenever we're all sitting in the Common Room talking, you always have your head on his shoulder and he has his arm around you. It's disgusting!" Jesse said, with a look on her face that showed she wasn't kidding.

"Okay so then why hasn't he asked me out yet?"

"I don't know, why don't you ask him," Megan suggested.

"You've got to be kidding me. Girls don't ask guys why they haven't asked them out yet. Well actually some girls do, like Natasha, but I'm not them."

"Then why don't you ask him out yourself?"

"No way!"

"Maybe you guys are going to have one of those unspoken relationships," Hermione suggested. "You know, when you act like a couple, but it's never actually official."

"Yeah I guess so," Alexia sighed.

"Have you guys kissed yet?" Megan asked with a smirk.

"Megan! That's not your business!" Alexia snapped.

"Oh my gosh, you have! You have and you didn't tell us!"

"Only because I knew I would never hear the end of it!" Alexia said defensively.

"Was it on the mouth?"

"Possibly."

"Were you guys snogging?" (A/N- Do I have to use that word? It's like British slang or something isn't it? I saw it in the books and a lot of fics, but nobody uses it here in Canada)

"Possibly."

"Eww Alexia! We're 11!" Melody said in surprise.

"It was only once, I swear!"

"Well then he'd better like you!" Megan laughed.

"Anyways, moving on from my love life, what is our plan for today?" Alexia asked, hastily changing the subject.

"Well, obviously, it'll be best that we split into two groups so that we can Christmas shop for each other," Jesse explained. "Me, Melody and Hermione can go together, and you two can go together. We'll meet back here at noon for lunch and change the groups. It won't work out perfectly since there are 5 of us, but it'll do."

"Sounds good," Melody said, draining the last bit of her butterbeer. "Well the sooner we start, the better. Let's go."

Melody led the others out of the pub and breathed in the fresh fall air. She stopped as soon as she was outside to look around her. People were all running around with their friends, happy and carefree. She was trying to be like them, but it was hard. She still had a horrible fear that Malfoy would get to her and try and hurt her again. She had to keep telling herself that Malfoy wasn't in Hogsmeade, so she should just enjoy her day without thinking about him. It was reassuring to have her friends around her all the time. She really wanted to overcome her fear and get on with her life.

"Melody! Are you coming?" Jesse asked, looking at her in concern. She and Hermione were already a few meters away.

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry 'bout that," she mumbled, jogging to catch up.

"So where should we start?" Hermione asked.

"I guess we'll just walk around and if we see a store that looks interesting, we'll go in," Jesse said with a shrug. They walked for about 5 minutes, until Melody pointed out a store called 'Teen Witch'.

"Let's go in there," she said, pointing to it. The three of them hurried inside.

"Wow, this store is really nice," Hermione said, looking around. The other two voiced their agreement. The store was made up of mostly clothing- half wizarding (robes and hats) and half everyday muggle clothing. There was also some jewelry, make-up, purses etc. at the back. Melody wanted to buy some of the muggle clothing for herself, but she decided that it would be best to do her Christmas shopping for her friends first. She didn't want to buy them clothes, since the sizing would be too hard, so she headed to the back of the store instead.

After wandering around for about 10 minutes, Melody made up her mind about what she wanted to buy. She was going to get a purse for each of her friends and fill it with different stuff. She chose a long blue purse for Jesse, a small pink one for Alexia, a bright multi-colored one for Megan, and a cute black and turquoise one for Hermione. She also picked out a nice pink one for herself. She filled all of the purses except for Jesse's with cool magical make-up and hair products (she was going to fill Jesse's with candy instead).

Deciding she needed one more thing to put in the purses, Melody headed over to the jewelry. Earrings were not an option, since neither Jesse nor Megan had their ears pierced. Rings wouldn't work either, since they were small and easy to lose. Bracelets were and option, but she didn't see any that caught her eye. Finally Melody found something perfect. She stopped at a glass case full of necklaces and looked at the sign that was sitting on top of it.

FRIENDSHIP NECKLACES

Which color describes your friend best?

Blue intelligent

Green generous

Red original

Yellow cheerful

Orange outgoing

Turquoise loyal

Purple glamorous

Pink consoling

All of the necklaces had a silver chain and 3 small colored stones hanging from the center. Melody chose red for Megan and orange for Alexia. She was automatically going to reach for blue for Hermione, but then she stopped herself. She remembered how Hermione had comforted her in their dorm that morning a few days ago. Someone who didn't know Hermione well would automatically choose blue, seeing her as only a bookworm. But Melody knew there was more to her than that, so she chose pink instead. For Jesse she chose turquoise, remembering the time when Jesse had threatened Natasha after she had called Melody a mudblood slut.

Happy with her choices, Melody looked around to make sure Jesse and Hermione weren't watching and then went over to the cash to pay. Then she headed over to the muggle clothing and started to pick out some stuff for herself.

"Did you guys find anything?" she asked Hermione and Jesse when she reached them. Hermione showed her the few things she was carrying, and Jesse shook her head no.

"All of the stuff here is too girly," Jesse grumbled.

"I'm sure you could find something," Melody sighed, looking at her best friend. She wore a large grey and red t-shirt and red shorts that went down to her knees.

"I don't like girly stuff!"

"Why not?"

"It's all tight and uncomfortable," Jesse said.

"Not all of it," Melody argued.

"If you can find me an outfit that I'm comfortable in and I like, I'll buy it."

"Deal!" Melody said excitedly. "Go to the change-rooms and we'll bring the clothes to you."

Jesse slumped off, not looking at all excited about what was about to happen.

Melody and Hermione wandered around the store, picking out articles of clothing that they hoped Jesse wouldn't hate. They stayed away from pink, purple and yellow as well as anything too short or too tight. When they were finally satisfied that they must have something she would like, they carried it back to her change-room, and they each went into a change-room of their own and began trying stuff on.

After about an hour, Jesse finally decided on an outfit she liked. She wore a dark blue t-shirt with white writing and a few red flowers on it and a pair of loose khaki pants. Melody picked out a white coral necklace for her to wear as well as a belt that was striped with different shades of blue.

"You look awesome!" Melody said with a huge grin. "All you need is some shoes to match," she added, looking in disgust at Jesse's beat up runners. "What size are you?"

"Seven," Jesse replied, looking in the mirror once more, still not sure if she preferred this style to her usual boyish clothes. Two minutes later, Melody came back carrying a pair of blue flip flops.

"No!" Jesse exclaimed. "There's no way you're making me wear those toe thongs!"

"Oh come on! They're more comfortable than you'd think!"

"How is a piece of plastic sticking between your toes comfortable?" she snapped.

"Just try them on! And besides, it's not plastic, these ones are fabric!"

Continuing to grumble under her breath, Jesse slipped the sandals on.

"Now walk around in them," Melody ordered.

Sighing loudly, Jesse walked around a bit.

"What do you think?" Melody asked.

"The sound they make when you walk is really annoying," Jesse complained.

"But are they comfortable?" Melody pressed.

"I guess so," Jesse sighed, recognizing defeat. Melody grinned.

They all carried their clothes up to the front and paid for them. Hermione bought two outfits, but Melody bought tons of clothes. Together they lugged their bags out of the store and headed back to the Three Broomsticks to meet Alexia and Megan.

"So, how was your morning?" Megan asked as Melody, Jesse and Hermione sat down at their table.

"Really good," Melody replied. "I made Jesse buy girl clothes!"

"No way!" Alexia squealed. "Show us!"

They spent all of lunch showing off what they had bought (except their presents for each other) and laughing about the morning's events. Once they were all done eating they split up again; Jesse, Melody and Alexia went together and Megan and Hermione went together.

Jesse, Melody and Alexia all finished up their shopping fairly quickly and spent the rest of their time at an ice cream parlor. Alexia managed to make the people sitting at the table next to them move away because she was making barnyard noises. Melody found herself laughing so hard that her stomach hurt. She was glad that she was finally able to forget her fears and enjoy her day with her friends.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hundreds of miles away, in a small, unheard of country, three men sat in an abandoned house. One, who was the leader of the three, sat on a chair while the other two knelt before him. The leader was a tall, skinny man with sleek blonde hair and piercing eyes. He was dressed in black robes. His name was Lucius Malfoy.

The other two men were much larger than their leader, and they were also dressed in black. If you haven't guessed it by now, their names were Crabbe and Goyle.

"What are we going to do tonight Lord?" Crabbe asked nervously. Lucius, who appeared to have been deep in thought, glared at him.

"The same thing we do every night you idiots!" he growled. "Try to take over the world!"

(background music) They're Lucius and the goons, yes Lucius and the goons, one's an evil genius, the other's won't be soon. They're evil, they're Lucius and the goons, goons, goons, goons…

Author's Note- It was Slytherin Girl's idea to add that in at the end. Hehe. If you didn't realize it, it's from Pinky and the Brain. Sorry it took so long to update, but I wrote this chapter and then lost the disk I saved it on, so I had to rewrite the whole thing. It wasn't fun at all. And I was really busy so I pretty much did the whole thing today.

I turned 14 yesterday! Yay! Please review for a birthday present. I love you guys who review!

Disclaimer- I don't own any of the characters you recognize from JK Rowling's books. And I don't own any of that pinky and the bran stuff.

Please review!


	13. Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw

Chapter #13

Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw

The first half of November passed quickly and uneventfully. The weather started to get colder, and the grounds were covered in a thin layer of snow. Classes started getting harder, and the homework continued to pile up. Harry and Ron were even busier than the others with Quidditch practice 3 times a week. Madam Pomfrey refused to let Melody go back to practicing Quidditch yet, but after a long argument with the rest of the team, she finally agreed to let her play in the upcoming match against Ravenclaw.

Harry woke up early on the morning of the match. The rest of his dorm was asleep. Knowing that there was no chance he'd fall back to sleep on a day like today, he got out of bed, changed into his robes and walked over to the window. The trees in the Forbidden Forest stood completely still- there wasn't a hint of wind at all. The sun was shining high in the sky, but not too brightly that it would make it hard to see. Perfect Quidditch conditions.

Pulling himself away from the window, Harry exited the dorm and made his way to the Great Hall for breakfast. He wasn't surprised to find it nearly deserted. There were only 3 people at the Gryffindor table- two second year boys and Melody.

Harry took a seat across from her. She had her chin resting on her hand and she was writing quickly onto a long piece of parchment.

"What're you working on?" Harry asked.

"Potions essay," she yawned. "I have to finish it by Monday."

"You have all weekend."

"Yeah, but I have so much other homework and stuff to do. I'm just so overwhelmed!" she groaned, rubbing her eyes. "Why aren't you the same way? Don't you have the same amount of homework?"

"I usually leave it to the last minute and copy off of Jake."

Melody rolled her eyes and went back to her essay.

"Are you looking forward to the match?" Harry asked, helping himself to some toast.

"Hell no," she replied, not looking up from her work. Harry looked at her in concern. Her brown hair was in two long braids, and there were dark circles under her hazel eyes. She looked like she hadn't slept much in days. Harry vaguely wondered if she was still worried about Malfoy.

They sat in silence as they ate their breakfast and students began to filter into the Great Hall.

"Oh, Owl Post is here early," Harry said as the owls flew in. An owl flew to each Harry and Melody. Harry wasn't at all surprised to see his- Lily wrote him a few times a week, asking him about his grades and everything. Melody was happy to see her letter. Her parents didn't write nearly as often as Harry's did, and she missed them a lot. They had been very upset to find out about her incident, but they were unable to come to the school to visit her, since they were Muggles. She opened it eagerly and read:

Dear Melody:

We were very happy to hear that you have completely recovered from your accident, but we can't wait until Christmas to see you again and make sure that you are doing well. It's great to hear that you are doing so well in school and with your Quidditch team, but if Quidditch is really dangerous, we don't want you playing! Couldn't you convince them to form a soccer team there instead? It's a much safer sport. I can't imagine you flying around on broomsticks and hitting things at one another.

Please write to us again soon and continue to focus on your schoolwork. We'll see you at Christmas!

Love Always,

Mom, Dad and Brian

Melody put her letter down on the table, feeling a sudden rush of homesickness. She was glad that it was almost Christmas, and she would get to go home to see them. She shoved this new feeling to the side, not wanting to deal with it on top of all her other emotions.

Harry continued to pick at his breakfast, unable to eat very much because he was so nervous. Ravenclaw was a very good team, probably their toughest competition. He was glad that Melody was ready to play again. They would need everyone to play their very best in order to win this game.

Their teammates entered the Hall not long after, looking slightly nervous but pumped and ready to go. The Weasley twins sat down next to Harry, while Angelina, Katie and Alicia sat next to Melody. They were all strangely quiet, even the twins, mentally preparing for the upcoming match.

"Everyone ready to kick some Ravenclaw ass?" Fred asked, finally breaking the silence. They all grinned and said they were.

"We're all very happy to have you back Melody," George said, leaning back in his chair. "Because our brother happens to be one of the worst Keepers on the planet. He couldn't save a shot if my Great Aunt Muriel took it! How could you choose him as backup Angelina?"

Harry elbowed him sharply as Ron approached the table with Jake and Derek. Angelina merely had time to shrug.

"Ronniekins!" George said quickly, observing his little brother's presence. "We were just talking about how terrible it is that you won't be getting a chance to play today. It's going to be a real loss, not having you as Keeper."

Harry groaned at his obvious sarcasm. Ron seemed to pick up on it too.

"Just say it George, I'm lousy."

Fred and George looked at each other gleefully, happy to have a free chance to poke fun at their brother.

"Don't say that Ron," Angelina said quickly. "You're not lousy."

"Angelina, there's no need to lie to the boy," said Fred.

"It will only give him false hope," George continued.

"And we sure as hell wouldn't want that now would we?"

Ron looked deflated. Harry felt pity for his friend, but couldn't really argue with the twins. Ron was lousy.

"Can we please get past the subject of whether or not Ron is lousy and focus on something else?" Katie said, finally speaking up. Ron looked relieved. "We've got a big game to play today."

The subject of Ron was dropped. They all quickly finished up their breakfast and headed down to the Quidditch pitch.

Harry surveyed his teammates admiringly. Alicia, Angelina and Katie were all focused on the game, discussing a trick play they had worked on in practice. Fred and George were having a belching competition. Melody looked pale and worried. Harry threw his arm over her shoulder reassuringly. She looked up at him in surprise, and grinned slightly.

"You'll be fine," he promised.

"He-he won't be there will he?" she said quietly, avoiding his gaze. "Not in the crowd?"

Harry was slightly surprised at her words. She hadn't voiced her fears about this before.

"No, he's in detention all day. He's locked in the dungeons scrubbing floors without a wand. Don't worry."

"This didn't seem to help her. Harry's concern deepened as they neared the pitch. Melody seemed to be getting paler and paler as they approached the scene of that terrible incident. He guided her into the changerooms, and was unable to focus on Angelina's pep talk as he watched Melody with worried eyes.

Outside, they could hear the crowd getting loud and impatient. Then there were the cheers and boos of the crowd as the Ravenclaws stepped onto the pitch. It was time for them to go.

They all stood up quietly, each with a determined look on their face. Melody took a deep breath, gulped back her fears, and followed her teammates. The crowd was loud and excited as the Gryffindors stepped onto the pitch, but the sound did not reach her ears. All she could hear was Malfoy's voice, cursing her off her broom. She found herself shaking as she looked up at the tall goalhoops, hardly believing that she had survived a fall from that height.

She couldn't do this. She couldn't just get back on her broom and fly back up there when her last broom ride had ended so terribly. But as she looked at the faces of her teammates, and saw how much they wanted to win this, she couldn't not do it. She had to do it, for Angelina, Katie and Alicia, for the twins, and for Harry. Harry, who believed in her so much. She couldn't let them down now.

The teams lined up, preparing to mount their brooms and kick off. Angelina shook hands with the Ravenclaw captain. Madam Hooch prepared to blow her whistle. Everyone mounted their brooms, but Melody couldn't bring herself to do it. Her entire body was shaking. She looked at Harry, and he caught her eye. He looked worried.

"Melody?" he said in concern, stepping towards her. But his voice was so far away, and her picture of him went blurry and then. . . black.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

When Melody awoke two hours later, her eyes were met with bright lights and the concerned faces of her friends. She immediately knew where she was.

"Not again," she groaned, rubbing her eyes. Her friends grinned, happy that she was okay. "What happened?"

"You fainted right before the Quidditch match," Jesse explained. "You didn't hit your head or anything though, because Harry caught you. They couldn't wake you up though, so they brought you to the Hospital Wing. You've been out cold since then."

"Did the Quidditch match go on then? Did we win?" she asked hopefully, not wanting to be the cause of their team's loss.

"Yeah," Fred said, glaring at Ron. "160-140. Harry caught the Snitch after Ron let in 14 straight goals. We managed to get one goal somewhere in there, which is hard to believe since Ron rarely even let our Chasers have a chance with the Quaffle."

Ron's face turned bright red.

"Well, at least we won," she said, trying to be optimistic. "I'm really sorry about this you guys. I didn't want to let you guys down like this."

"We don't blame you," Harry assured her. "We never should've expected you to get over the incident that quickly. We've been talking, and we decided that you shouldn't play in the next game against Hufflepuff. It should be a pretty easy win anyways, and that way you'll have plenty of time to recover for next year, if you choose to play next year."

Melody felt as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "That would be… . . really good. I can't say I'd be ready for next month, but I'd really like to play again next year. I'm glad you guys understand."

"Of course we understand," George said slapping her on the back. "Take all the time you need to recover, just make sure Ron never sees the pitch again next year. Please."

"Don't say that," Angelina snapped quickly, obviously realizing that Ron would need some confidence for their next match. "Ron, you played a very good game. You should be proud of yourself."

Fred and George snorted with laughter. "Proud of what? Managing to stay on his broom?" Fred snickered.

"Now, Fred, that's not very nice," George said in a mock serious tone. "Ron did make that one save, the one where the Quaffle was thrown right to him."

"Oh, I think I remember it now. And then he dropped it right?"

"Twice."

"But that wasn't all, was it George?"

"Oh no, of course not. This is Ron we're talking about. No, then he had to top it off by throwing it right to a Slytherin Chaser."

"Who then scored."

"Brilliant."

"That's enough!" came a voice from the outskirts of the large group. It was Hermione. Everyone, even she, seemed surprised by her outburst, but it seemed to work. The twins were silent.

Just then, Madam Pomfrey scuttled in, looking angry. "Visiting hours are over! This girl needs her rest! OUT!"

The 13 visitors then obediently bade their farewells to their friend and left before Madam Pomfrey could throw a tantrum.

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Melody was allowed to leave the Hospital Wing the next day, for she had merely fainted. She hoped that that would be her last visit of the year, which was more likely to occur now that she wasn't playing Quidditch. She now had more time to focus on her studies, and relax and recover.

With December came many large snowfalls, to the delight of most students. Leisure time was spent having intense snowball fights on the grounds, followed by sitting and laughing by the fire. The nine Gryffindors were becoming increasingly closer friends. Derek and Alexia's unspoken relationship continued, while the others felt that relationships were pointless at their young age.

Christmas break was only a week and a half away. They were all planning on going home, and going to the Potters' house on Christmas night for dinner. They all couldn't wait to see their families and have a break from all their schoolwork. The teachers were obviously oblivious to the fact that Christmas was nearing- the workload was as heavy as ever. Christmas would provide a much needed break.

Harry and the other boys woke early on a regular Wednesday morning, showered, dressed and headed down to the Common Room. They were surprised to find it overly crowded, full of people talking in scared voices and crying. Starting to worry, they scanned the room for a familiar face. They found the girls in the corner. Alexia was crying, Megan was hugging her, and Melody, Jesse and Hermione were talking in hushed voices.

"What's going on?" Jake asked in a concerned voice.

"It's Magtons," Hermione said quietly, her eyes brimming with tears. "It- it was attacked."

Author's Note- Hooray! I'm back! It's only been like… a year maybe.. but that's okay. The important thing is that I finally updated! And I've also revised my older chapters, and some of the changes are major, so you might want to re-read the story from the beginning if you're one of my old readers. I hope you all aren't too mad at me!


	14. Confusion

Chapter #14- Confusion

"You're kidding me," Harry whispered fiercely. Derek rushed over to comfort Alexia, who had 2 older siblings there. None of the other girls had siblings there, and neither did Harry, Jake or Derek. That just left—

"Ron," Harry said, turning to his friend. Ron's eyes were wide and his face was pale. He backed himself into a chair and seemed to collapse there. "Ron, you have tons of siblings. Do any of them go to Magtons?"

Ron seemed too shocked to speak. Harry tried to remember the names and ages of all of Ron's siblings. By Ron's reaction, Harry guessed that a least one went to Magtons. But were there more?

"Percy," came a voice from behind him. Harry spun around him. The Weasley twins stood behind him, looking uncharacteristically solemn. "Our older brother Percy goes there. Bit of a git really, but we'd never wish this upon him."

Jake appeared beside Harry. "Do you two know any details? Who was involved, what are the casualties, how much damage was inflicted?" he asked.

"Well, obviously, we don't know for sure who is responsible," George said gravely. "But I'd bet my life Lucius Malfoy is connected to all of this. From what I've heard, the list of casualties is around 50, which I suppose could be much worse. Almost all of the survivors are at St. Mungo's. And as for the damage—I think that the entire school was destroyed. Everything."

Harry and Jake were stunned speechless. What did this mean? Was Hogwarts in danger of being the next target?

Professor McGonagall entered the Common Room, looking extremely flustered. A silence fell among the Gryffindor House, for they were all hoping that she could provide them with information.

"As you all seem to know, although I'm not quite sure how you managed that, Magtons has been attacked," she said solemnly. "The list of casualties has now reached to around 70 students and staff. Most of the others are in St. Mungo's. Due to this unfortunate incident, Hogwarts will be closing early for Christmas vacation, which may also have to continue later than usual. If this is the case, lessons and homework will be owled to you. The Hogwarts Express is leaving tonight at midnight, and your parents can pick you up at the station in the morning. Also, could any students wishing to find out about the well-being of any of their family members at Magtons please follow me to Professor Dumbledore's office."

And at that, she exited the Common Room. A large number of students followed her, many of whom were crying. The remaining students sat in a shocked and thoughtful silence an slowly began drifting either back to their dorms to pack or down to breakfast.

The young gang of Gryffindors were the last ones left in the Common Room, still not saying a word. They were all worried about Ron and Alexia's siblings.

"I can't believe this," Jesse finally said, breaking the silence. "What does this mean? Is Lucius Malfoy finally deciding to take over Voldemort's role?"

"We don't know that it was him," Jake said, always trying to be logical.

"Who else would it be? Do you really think there's that many other psychopathic maniacs in this world? I mean, yeah, there are some, but a stunt like this? It's a stunt only worthy of someone who wants to be the next Voldemort. And we all know that that's Lucius Malfoy."

"Maybe not," Hermione said quietly, obviously scared that Hermione might thrash out at her. "I mean, nobody expected that Tom Riddle was Voldemort. They all thought that Voldemort had killed Tom. He was apparently a handsome, charming boy, Head Boy for that matter. So really, it could've been anyone. It could've been an accident."

"An accident?" Derek repeated in an annoyed tone. "You think that an entire wizarding school was destroyed by an accident? You think that 70 students were killed by accident? How the hell do you figure that?"

"She could be right," Melody said, for Hermione was looking flustered. "I'm not saying I don't think Lucius Malfoy did it, because he probably did. But we don't have any details. Some students could've been messing around with potions that resulted in an explosion. If we find out that there were men running around and shouting curses at students, we'll know it wasn't an accident. But until then, let's not turn on one another. Hermione was just voicing her opinion, so cut her some slack."

Jesse and Derek mumbled their apologies.

"So what do you guys think will happen with Hogwarts?" Harry asked.

"I'm sure they'll open it up again once they know it's safe," Megan said.

"But what if they can't find out who did it?" Jesse asked. "I mean, Lucius Malfoy hasn't been seen for 10 years, not even by his wife and son. He obviously knows how to hide."

"Actually, that's not true," Hermione said. Jesse glared at her.

"And why is that?"

"Because Draco Malfoy has an 8 year old sister."

"Pardon me?" Derek said, sitting up straighter in his chair and looking at her with wide eyes. The news seemed to be a shock to all the others as well.

"I heard him talking about her when he was sitting in front of me in Charms. Her name is…Robyn or something. He doesn't seem to like her very much… he said she dishonors the Malfoy name, and he wouldn't be surprised if she ended up in Gryffindor."

"Maybe she's only his half sister. Maybe they have different fathers," harry suggested.

"That's what I thought at first too," Hermione said. "But then I checked that book that writes down the name of every student that will be attending Hogwarts when they are born. And there she was, Robyn Malfoy, daughter of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy."

"How is that possible?" Harry asked, still baffled by this news.

Derek raised his eyebrows at Harry. "Sometimes," he said in a slow, annoying voice as though he were talking to a 5-year-old. "When a man and a woman love each other very much. . ."

"I don't mean it like that!" Harry snapped while Derek sniggered. "I mean. . .like. . . when would he. . .how could he. . ."

He trailed off, unable to voice his confusion.

"Well it's obvious isn't it?" Hermione said. "Three years after leaving, Lucius Malfoy went back, visited his wife, and well. . .like Derek was going to say. . .and then 9 months later, their daughter was born."

"I wonder if he's visited anymore since then," Jesse said.

"What's he hiding from anyway?" asked Megan. I mean aside from this whole Magton's thing, if it's really him whose behind it, he hasn't done anything wrong yet, has he? Everyone knew that he went to replace Voldemort, but he never actually acted on it. He just stayed in hiding. But from what?"

"Arrest, I suppose. Maybe once Voldemort was dead and some of his followers rounded up, the Ministry would have found out he was one of them. It couldn't have been hard, just convince one Death Eater to slip names of the others, or force him to with Veritaserum. So Malfoy's choices were to go to Azkaban and never see his family again, or go into hiding and never see his family again. Of course, he probably wanted everyone to think he was 'taking Voldemort's place', not running away from the Ministry," Jake explained.

"But why act now?" Melody asked. "Why, after 10 years of hiding successfully, when the Ministry is barely even bothering to search for him, would he do something this drastic?"

"Who says he did it?!" Jake said exasperatedly, for they had returned to their original argument.

None of the others spoke after this. Harry tilted his head back against the wall, thinking hard. He hoped that Ron and Alexia's siblings were OK. He wondered what life would be like from now on, for he knew that things were definitely going to change. This worry, this absolute fear that was in their hearts, how long would it last? And if this was all caused by Lucius Malfoy, who was supposed to be nothing compared to Voldemort, then what would it be like if Voldemort was still alive? Of the people sitting around him, how many would actually exist? Would he, Harry, be alive, or would Voldemort have killed him if his parents hadn't stopped him?

The young Gryffindors sat in a long, odd silence, until finally the portrait hole swung open, revealing a small group of Gryffindors. Ron, Alexia, Fred and George were among them.

Harry tried to read their expression in order to get a grasp of what was going on. The Weasleys all looked shaken but relieved, and Alexia was still crying, although not enough for him to expect death.

"Percy's fine," Fred finally said, looking down at their expectant faces. "He's being treated for a few burns and bruises, but he'll be alright. Her sister," he added, nodding towards the teary Alexia, "Mary, is the same way. Corey on the other hand. . ."

"They won't tell me what's wrong with him," Alexia choked. "But they said it's not life-threatening. I'm going to see him as soon as I get off the train tomorrow. Dumbledore said the Knight Bus will be there to take all the students who need to visit family members."

"Would you like us to come with you?" Melody asked.

"Well. . . I. . I mean, I'd love that. . but I couldn't ask you to. . ." Alexia trailed off, looking surprised.

"Don't be stupid," Jesse said.

"Of course we'll be there," added Hermione.

"I haven't forgotten how loyal you all were when I was in the Hospital Wing," Melody said.

Alexia looked taken aback, but pleased all the same.

Jake looked down at his watch. "It's nearly lunchtime. I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving. What do you say we go to the Great Hall?"

The others nodded their agreement and they went down together and ate in silence. The entire school seemed to be in an uncharacteristic, respectful silence.

The rest of the day was spent packing and eating dinner. Once 11:00 rolled around, the entire population of Hogwarts trudged down to the Entrance Hall in their pajamas, and they were instructed to get into the horseless carriages that would carry them to the Hogsmeade trainstation. They all heaved their luggage aboard and hurried to find a compartment, all of which were filled with blankets and pillows. They managed to find one and collapsed wordlessly into their seats.

Derek and Jake both made themselves comfortable on the floor. Harry chose a seat by the window and slept in a seated position with his pillow against the window. Ron spread out on the rest of the bench Harry occupied, although he didn't fit very comfortably. The girls lined the other bench, each using the next as a headrest.

"Goodnight," Derek yawned as the train's lights were dimmed.

"Night," the others murmured in response.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The students awoke early the next morning to the sound of the train pulling into the station. They trudged off the train with their heavy trunks, yawning and stretching as they went. They scanned the crowded station for a familiar face.

"There!" Ron said, pointing off into the distance. "I see my mum. . .and your dad's there too Jake! And some other adults are with them too. . .I don't recognize them, but they might be some of your parents."

They all followed Ron's lead, although none of them saw where he was pointing to.

As they drew closer, Harry finally realized who Ron was pointing to. He saw his dad, who was holding Rebecca's hand as she gazed around curiously at all the unfamiliar faces. Remus—or Professor Lupin (it was hard for Harry, having to switch back and forth)—was indeed there as well, along with Jake's mom. Sirius stood next to the Lupins, but Jenny and Kailah were not with him. A short, stout, red-haired woman, who Harry assumed was Mrs Weasley, stood next to Sirius. Harry also recognized Megan, Melody and Jesse's parents, but Alexia's were not there. He assumed that they were at the hospital. There was one couple there that he didn't recognize, so he figured that they were Hermione's parents. The adults were all deep in conversation, so they didn't recognize their students approaching.

"Harry!" Rebecca squealed at the sight of her older brother. She struggled to release herself from James' grasp. She finally pulled free and ran to hug him. The adults all turned to look, and greeted their children enthusiastically. They were happy to see them all safe.

James embraced Harry in a tight, protective hug. "It's good to see you," he said, clapping his son on the back.

"You too," Harry said meaningfully, looking up at his father. "Where's Mum?"

"Volunteering at St. Mungo's," James explained. "The entire place is in an uproar. They need all the help they can get."

"Can we go to St. Mungo's?" Harry asked hopefully. "Because Alexia. . ."

He glanced over at his friend. She looked overwhelmed with shock and fear.

"Of course we're going," James answered. "Alexia's parents asked me to escort her there."

"Have you heard anything about Corey then? About what's wrong with him?"

James nodded solemnly. "But it's not my place to tell you that. At least not just yet. I don't even have all the facts myself. We'll figure out everything when we get there."

Ron introduced Harry to his mom, Molly Weasley, who seemed like a very nice lady. Ron's dad—Arthur Weasley—it turned out, worked for the Ministry and was busy trying to sort everything out. Mrs. Weasley, Ron and the twins would be joining Harry, James, Alexia and Rebecca at St. Mungo's because they wanted to take Percy, who was already mended, home.

Harry also met Mr and Mrs Granger, who seemed very kind but a little out of place and confused. This was obviously because they were Muggles, and this incident wasn't the best introduction into the world of magic. They wanted to take Hermione straight home, so she hugged her friends good-bye, apologized to Alexia for not being able to come, and disappeared with her parents. She promised to see them on Christmas day at the Potters' Christmas party.

Jesse and Melody convinced their parents to let them join the group that was headed to St. Mungo's, but Megan's parents wouldn't budge. They needed to get home and weren't eager to send their daughter off alone. Sirius, Derek and Jake would be going too, but not Remus. He had been away from home for a while and wanted to see his wife.

The large party grouped together and embarked on the journey to St. Mungo's.

Author's Note- Wow. It's been a long time since I've updated. Very sorry about that. I just have a lot going on, and haven't gotten around to it. I've been considering making some major changes to this story. . . specifically with characters. There's just too many to keep track of. I've already gone back and made some changes to the original story, which you should check out if you haven't already. But I thought I'd just update for now. Please let me know if you have any thoughts. Sorry for the wait J


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